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Published 09 October 2009 |
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Agreement on climate change being the most important threat to polar bears |
In March 2009, Norway invited the five nations with polar bears in their
territory to a meeting under the Polar Bear Agreement from 1973. Now, the
final report of this meeting is available.
40 years ago, widespread hunting had reduced polar bear populations in many
parts of the Arctic. Thus, the polar bear range states, Canada, Denmark/Greenland,
Norway, Russia and USA, entered into an agreement in 1973 to protect polar
bears and their habitat. The five Contracting Parties met last time in Oslo
1981 and decided then that the agreement would be valid indefinitely.
The purpose of the 2009 meeting was to provide an update on the conservation
status for the polar bears; to review implementation of the polar bear
Agreement; to identify useful polar bear conservation strategies and to
discuss mechanisms for enhanced implementation of the polar bear Agreement.
Now, the final report of this meeting is available.
Climate change as enemy no. 1
In the document, the parties agreed that impacts of climate change and the
continued and increasing loss and fragmentation of sea ice - the key habitat
for both polar bears and their main prey species - constitutes the most
important threat to polar bear conservation.
The parties noted with deep concern the escalating rates and extent of
changes in the Arctic induced by climate change to date and that future
changes are projected to be even larger. The parties agreed that long term
conservation of polar bears depends upon successful mitigation of climate
change.
Other evaluated impacts were pollution and contaminants, oil- and gas
activities, shipping and tourism,
The parties recognised that plans for action should be developed at a
national
level leading up to development of comprehensive circumpolar plans for
action that address polar bear conservation.
(Source: www.npolar.no)
Polar Bear Meeting:
http://www.polarbearmeeting.org/home/
Final report:
http://www.polarbearmeeting.org/content.ap?thisId=500039179 (pdf, 2 MB)
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Photo: C. Hübner
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