Map from the U.S. Geological Survey shows projected changes in polar bear habitat from 2001 to 2010 and 2041 to 2050. Red areas indicate loss of optimal polar bear habitat; blue areas indicate gain.
Polar bear population sizes and trends are difficult to estimate accurately because they occupy remote home ranges and exist at low population densities. Polar bear fieldwork can also be hazardous to researchers.[1] As of 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports that the global population of polar bears is 22,000 to 31,000, and the current population trend is unknown. Nevertheless, polar bears are listed as "Vulnerable" under criterion A3c, which indicates an expected population decrease of ≥30% over the next three generations (~34.5 years) due to "decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence and/or quality of habitat". Risks to the polar bear include climate change, pollution in the form of toxic contaminants, conflicts with shipping, oil and gas exploration and development, and human-bear interactions including harvesting and possible stresses from recreational polar-bear watching.[2]
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the polar bear is important as an indicator of Arctic ecosystem health. Polar bears are studied to gain understanding of what is happening throughout the Arctic, because at-risk polar bears are often a sign of something wrong with the Arctic marine ecosystem.[3]
^"Malcolm Alexander Ramsay (1949–2000)" (PDF).
^Cite error: The named reference iucn status 19 November 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^WWF: A Leader in Polar Bear Conservation. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
and 26 Related for: Polar bear conservation information
population densities. Polarbear fieldwork can also be hazardous to researchers. As of 2015, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reports...
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raise awareness about the conservation status of the polarbear. International PolarBear Day is organized by PolarBears International to raise awareness...
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Zemlya in the Arctic Ocean experienced a mass invasion of polarbears. Dozens of polarbears were seen trying to enter homes, civic buildings, and inhabited...
three species of bears are recognized: the brown bear, the black bear (Ursus americanus), and the polarbear (Ursus maritimus). A black bear searching garbage...
the giant panda, brown bear, and polarbear, and many other extant or extinct mammals. A member of this family is called a bear or an ursid. They are widespread...
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It has been best known for decades for its polarbear exhibit, of which the old enclosure was replaced in 2013 with Journey...
The Inuit of Greenland use polarbear fur for clothing in areas where reindeer (caribou) and seals are scarce. Polarbear hide is wiry and bulky, making...
genetically anomalous grouping was the ABC Islands bear, which bears genetic introgression from the polarbear. A formal taxonomic revision was not performed...
blood samples from polarbears without the use of anesthesia, leading to the development of a groundbreaking polarbearconservation science program. The...
Peyton, B. (1999). Bears: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan Archived 2012-10-07 at the Wayback Machine. IUCN/SSC Bear and PolarBear Specialist Groups...
Herrero, S.; Peyton, B. (eds.). Bears: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland: IUCN/SSC Bear and PolarBear Specialist Groups. pp. 25–32. ISBN 2-8317-0462-6...
unique genetic structure that relates them not only to brown bears, but also to polarbears. Its habitat exists within the Tongass National Forest, which...
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bears found in the Iberian Peninsula, while the other "Clade VI", was highly distinct from all other brown bears, either closely related to the polar...
Flocke (German pronunciation: [ˈflɔkə]) is a female polarbear who was born in captivity at the Nuremberg Zoo in Nuremberg, Germany on 11 December 2007...
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