Polar Bear

IV. Conservation Management Strategy
d. Other measures of achievement
As stated previously, fundamental Goals 4, 5, and 6
are not derived directly from statute, but instead
are expressions of other societal values that could be
affected by polar bear management. Performance
requirements do not need to be prescribed for these
goals (as they do for ESA recovery criteria and
MMPA conservation criteria). It will be important,
however, to address achievement of these goals,
particularly to provide an adaptive feedback loop
for improving future conservation actions. If we
are successful in managing other threats to polar
bears such that populations persist, then we will
be better positioned to successfully recognize the
nutritional and cultural traditions of Native peoples
with connections to polar bears (Fundamental Goal
4). Monitoring the MMPA Demographic Criteria
specified above requires collection of data on the
number of lethal removals of polar bears, but to
put this into context data should be collected on the
broader effort to manage human-polar bear interactions
and the relative success of various deterrence
strategies (Fundamental Goal 5). Finally, there
should be a qualitative assessment of our success at
achieving polar bear conservation while minimizing
restrictions to other activities, including economic
development (Fundamental Goal 6).
2. Research needs for United States polar bear subpopulations
The previous section focused on monitoring
demographic and threats-based criteria to inform
management actions and adjustments. This section
focuses on research designed to develop or refine the
criteria that serve as proxies for our fundamental
goals, improve monitoring of these criteria, and
improve our understanding of the relationships (e.g.,
between sea-ice availability and vital rates) and
ecosystem dynamics that cumulatively determine
polar bear persistence. We divide research into
the following five areas: (1) population dynamics
and distribution; (2) habitat ecology; (3) health and
nutritional ecology; (4) nutritional and cultural use
of polar bears; and (5) human-polar bear interactions.
We briefly review these areas of research and
a list of representative research projects is attached
(Appendix B). Specific priorities and cost estimates
for these areas will be developed by the Recovery
Implementation Team and Team members. We envision
a dynamic and adaptive process through which
this Plan is updated to reflect new information, and
research planning is updated to reflect the living
Conservation Management Plan document. We also
envision the active engagement of current and new
partners in these activities including Universities,
other Federal, State, and local agencies along with
industry and non-governmental entities.
needed to measure progress towards persistencebased
goals. Where possible and appropriate, we
will pursue research on population dynamics and
distribution of our shared populations with our
international partners.
Habitat ecology. Under this research area, we will
study the response of polar bear subpopulations
to biotic and abiotic changes in the environment,
including intermediate effects on primary (seals)
and alternate (e.g., stranded marine mammals) prey.
This will provide an improved understanding of the
mechanistic links between habitat and demographics.
Further research is also needed to understand
linkages between atmospheric concentrations of
GHG, sea ice, and polar bear resource selection and
demographics.
Population dynamics and distribution. Research in
this area is intended to improve our understanding
of the relationship between polar bears and the
environment. This research will provide insights into
how factors such as sea ice and prey abundance and
availability affect polar bear distribution and vital
rates. We have learned from research and monitoring
on the two polar bear subpopulations shared
by the United States that physical and biological
differences among populations may affect how polar
bears respond to habitat loss associated with climate
change, especially in the near term. Long-term
studies of subpopulation status (e.g., including vital
rates used as demographic criteria) and trends are
USFWS
Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan 51