Polar Bear

IV. Conservation Management Strategy
Conservation and recovery actions
Appropriate entities, both in the U.S. and internationally, will implement regulatory, market-driven, and
voluntary actions to address the anthropogenic causes of Arctic warming and abate the threat to polar
bears posed by sea-ice loss by keeping global warming below 2 degrees C. (Cost undeterminable)
(i). USFWS and partners will develop and deliver an effective communications strategy to inform
United States and global audiences of the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
the benefits to polar bears and to coastal Arctic peoples of doing so. ($685,000)
(ii). USFWS and partners will continue their efforts to reduce their own GHG emissions consistent
with Executive Orders and other organizational directives. ($7,000,000)
Total cost: minimum of approximately $7,685,000 per year
Support international conservation efforts through
the Range States relationships
Work closely with other Range States to implement
conservation actions outlined in Circumpolar
Action Plan for the global population. Polar bear
range reaches five Arctic nations. These Range
States have long recognized the need to coordinate
polar bear conservation efforts (1973 Agreement
on the Conservation of Polar Bears). In their
capacity as parties to that Agreement, the Range
States adopted a Circumpolar Action Plan in
2015. The purpose of the Circumpolar Plan is to
broadly address range-wide conservation challenges
such as the threat to polar bears posed by global
greenhouse gas emissions, and potential threats like
human-bear conflicts and illegal trade, which must
be effectively managed for the species to survive
until climate change is addressed. As a Range State,
we anticipate contributing to the implementation of
international priorities that coincide with our own
priorities and are in alignment with our statutory
responsibilities. We also plan to share strategies
and best management practices with our Range
State partners. In turn, advances in knowledge and
management practice made by Range State partners
will actively inform implementation of this Plan
in the United States. The Recovery Team recognizes
that there may be benefit in supplementing this Plan
and the Circumpolar Action Plan with additional
national or international actions for the benefit of
Arctic ecosystems and polar bears.
Pursue targeted conservation efforts with Canada
and Russia by sharing resources and expertise.
Along with implementation of measures in the
Circumpolar Action Plan focused on polar bear
conservation range-wide, we anticipate undertaking
specific conservation efforts with Russia and
Canada, international neighbors with whom we
share management of the Chukchi Sea and Southern
Beaufort Sea polar bear subpopulations, respectively.
Specifically, we will work with Russia to better
monitor and manage human-caused removals in that
country. Based on recent information, polar bear
take in Russia may be declining (Kochnev 2014) but
in past accounts, mortality was thought to be large
(Aars et al. 2006). We will also work with Russia to
protect denning habitat in Chukotka and on Wrangel
Island, where almost all denning for the Chukchi
Sea population occurs (Garner et al. 1990). Likewise,
in addition to working with Canada on issues related
to the Southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation, we
will provide support to Canada’s efforts to manage
polar bears in the Canadian Archipelago, which we
anticipate will provide key terrestrial polar bear
refugia as sea ice declines (Derocher et al. 2004;
Amstrup et al. 2008, 2010; Peacock et al. 2015).
Conservation and recovery actions
1. Work closely with the other Range States to implement the conservation actions outlined in the Circumpolar
Action Plan for polar bears range-wide that are consistent with national priorities and in alignment
with statutory responsibilities.
2. Work with Russia to (a) protect denning habitat in Chukotka and Wrangel Island through development
of den detection models and avoidance strategies; and (b) better monitor human-caused removal of polar
bears in Russia and jointly improve efforts to minimize human-bear conflicts.
3. Provide support for polar bear management efforts in the Canadian Archipelago.
Total cost: approximately $729,000 per year
Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan 43