The US Fish and Wildlife Service released its Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan ( CMP ) yesterday to motley reaction . Some applaud it for its carefully considered action at law , while others suggest it was n’t prepared to tackle the bears ’ biggest terror : clime change .
Thereport outlinesactions that will assist the bear ’ survival in the wild in the curt - condition , while also acknowledge that the main threat to frigid bears – the rising temperatures in the Arctic – will entail longer - full term natural action .
“ This plan outlines the necessary actions and concrete allegiance by the Service and our state , tribal , federal and international partners to protect polar bears in the near condition , ” said Greg Siekaniec , the service ’s Alaska regional director , in astatement . “ But make no mistake ; without critical action to address Arctic warming , the long - term lot of this mintage is unsealed . ”
The CMP will concenter on the two get laid subpopulations of bear that experience off the sea-coast of Alaska . With input from government agencies , scientific experts , and aboriginal Alaskan residential area , the plan call for collaboratively managing subsistence harvest home , protect known den , minimizing the risk of pollute habitats from oil spillway , and reduce human - beast conflict .
Polar bears are the largest country carnivores in the world , with an estimated universe between 22,000 and 25,000 across the Arctic , let in Alaska , Canada , Norway , Greenland , and Russia . They bank on sea ice to roam , trip up prey such as seals , and raise their young .
They were also the first species to be declaredendangered forthwith due to climate changeback in 2008 , and with therapid release of sea icedue to the Arcticwarming twice as fastas the rest of the world , their predicament has n’t let up since .
November 2016 recorded the lowest sea ice extent since records began in 1979 . FloridaStock / Shutterstock
Though the plan admits the fate of the bears reckon on “ our willingness and ability to address mood alteration , ” critics have point out that despite the plan name out greenhouse petrol as the primary threat to the bears , it also appears to receipt it will take no direct action against it .
Under the “ Conservation Strategy ” heading , the CMP states : “ This plan limn actions the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partner can take to preclude these [ dangers ] from menace the persistence or retrieval of polar bears while the worldwide community work to address and fix atmospherical levels of greenhouse gas . ”
The WWF has released a statement praise the CMP : “ The design shows the complexity of what it means to truly protect America ’s most iconic Arctic species . It address the thing we need to see in cheeseparing condition and rightly foreground that clime variety extenuation is the most important natural action needed to secure polar bear populations,”saidElisabeth Kruger , frigid political program ship’s officer and polar bear expert . “ In the oddment , the polar bear ’s viability will finally come down to how aggressively our planet addresses the climate crisis . ”
However , speaking tothe Guardian , Shaye Wolf from the Centre for Biological Diversity argued that the design does n’t in reality address the problem , explaining that the agency ’s chore is to outlineallthe footmark needed to assure polar bears ’ survival . “ It acknowledge the problem but fails to put the solution in the core group strategy for the bear , ” she said .
