November 26, 2007
OTTAWA -- Canada's polar bears are at risk of disappearing and the federal government currently has no plan to protect them amid shrinking Arctic ice conditions as a result of global warming.
The David Suzuki Foundation report, Canada's Polar Bear: Falling Through the Cracks? finds that despite increasing threats to their survival -- including melting sea ice, organic pollutants, and increased shipping traffic and oil/gas exploration -- polar bears are not listed federally as a species at risk. In fact, out of the seven Canadians provinces/territories where polar bears are found, only two (Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador) list the species provincially. Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province or territory to have a formal management plan in place to protect the iconic bear.
The report also concludes that Canada currently has no marine protected areas in the Arctic. As well, these marine mammals require land for denning and travel corridors; however, four polar bear populations in Canada presently are without even a single hectare of land protected within their range.
"Right now, the polar bear receives zero legislative protection at the national level," says Rachel Plotkin, the Foundation's biodiversity policy analyst. "Strong endangered species laws and protected areas are two critical tools Canada has to recover and protect species at risk like the polar bear."
Thirteen of the world's 19 polar bear populations call the Canadian Arctic home. As the report finds, five populations show a decline in numbers. These populations, as well as others, could face continued decline in a landscape increasingly transformed by global warming.
Temperatures are rising far more rapidly in the Arctic than in the rest of the world. Since 1978, sea ice cover has declined by approximately nine per cent per decade, and the rate of melting appears to be increasing each year. This loss of sea ice threatens Canadian wildlife, like the polar bear, which are wholly dependent on the Arctic sea ice habitat for survival.
"We know that the North is warming up. We know that Arctic sea ice is melting. And we know that polar bears rely on sea ice for survival," says Ms. Plotkin. "As sea ice disappears, so will the polar bears unless federal, provincial and territorial governments "list" the polar bear and step in with effective management plans to deeply reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ban persistent organic pollutants, and protect marine and terrestrial areas."
