1 POLAR BEARS
The polar bear is an icon of the Arctic. It figures prominently (as Nanook) in Inuit legends and art and, more recently, as Lyra’s strong protector in Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Polar bears are a charismatic species in what is, quite literally, a coldspot of global biodiversity. T...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.390.7640 http://www.prbo.org/cms/docs/Wiens/polar bears and toads.pdf |
| Summary: | The polar bear is an icon of the Arctic. It figures prominently (as Nanook) in Inuit legends and art and, more recently, as Lyra’s strong protector in Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Polar bears are a charismatic species in what is, quite literally, a coldspot of global biodiversity. They are also the subject of mounting conservation concern. So much so that, after considerable foot-dragging and administrative dithering, in May of this year the United States government listed the polar bear as a “threatened species ” under the Endangered Species Act. This means that the species is likely to become endangered (i.e., “in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range”) in the foreseeable future unless actions are taken now. This decision is noteworthy because, unlike other species that have been afforded federal protection under this act, the threat to the long-term viability of polar bears as a species stems directly from the effects of global climate change. Polar bears are dependent on sea ice for hunting ringed seals, their primary prey. And as the rate of climate warming in the Arctic accelerates even beyond the projections of the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, the threat of a complete disappearance of this essential habitat within the next few decades becomes ever more real. Based on even moderate climate-model projections, scientists with the United States Geological Survey have predicted that two-thirds of the world’s polar bears are likely to disappear by 2050. 1 |
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