Polar Bears are in Danger

By: Ben Katz

Photo Taken From: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/about-polar-bears/essentials/characteristics

Introduction and Description:

Have you wondered how Polar Bears are the only bears who appear white? We attest this illusion to the design of polar bears' fur. The guard hairs that cover the underfur have hollow, pigment free hair shafts. This outer layer reflects light similarly to snow and ice, especially in direct sunlight. (Polar Bears Intl.) Interestingly, polar bears use their fur to prevent heat loss on land, and their fat insulation performs the same task in the water.

Polar Bears' cognitive skills to hunt down ice seals makes them so magnificent. In a dynamic, polar environment, these bears are on the top of the food chain. According to research scientist Alison Ames, they're ability to successfully hunt given the circumstances gives polar bears a higher IQ than some species of apes (Polar Bears Intl.).

Polar Bears are K-selected mammals. What's important here is high adult survival rates are needed for the Polar Bear population to continue their extensive maternal investment in their offspring (U.S. Fish and Wildlife).

So Where are They?

Polar bears are a nothing short of magnificent and are very recognizable. However, much of our population has not come in contact with these bears as they are located in the circumpolar path to hunt their primary prey, ice seals (Polar Bears Intl.) This area includes the Arctic region and certain areas of Canada, Denmark, The United States (Alaska Only), Russia, and Norway. Polar Bears typically retreat to the north during the summertime, and advance South when the autumn freeze kicks in (U.S. Fish and Wildlife).  Due to melting polar ice, we continue to notice more and more polar bears migrating further north over time. In the Arctic Region, these bears live on four sea ice ecoregions and are in order from most to least threatened: seasonal ice, polar basin divergent ice, polar basin convergent ice, and archipelago ice.

The Listing Under the ESA

On July 8th, 2015, the ESA listed polar bears under threatened species. This listing came about in response to global warming as the main threat to the steady population of Polar Bears (U.S. Fish and Wildlife).

Cause of the Listing

This listing was created due to the need for Polar bears to maintain a very high survival rate of 93%, while global warming causes an inevitable decline of the Sea Ice Habitat (U.S. Fish and Wildlife). Astronomical greenhouse gas emissions are causing sharp temperature increases all over earth, especially around the poles. These temperature increases will reduce polar bear's habitat and food supply.
Other small threats including human contact and harm from commercial activity are mentioned to help strengthen the listing.

Watch the following video for more explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_HyqPZdN5s

What is the Recovery Plan?

The Polar Bear Conservation Management Plan has a set of fundamental goals that bring together the objectives of the MMPA, ESA, and stakeholders connected to the survival of Polar Bears and their habitats:

1.     Secure the long-term persistence of wild polar bears as a species and as a significant  functioning element in the ecosystem of which they are a part.

2.     Secure the long-term persistence of polar bears at scales that represent the genetic, behavioral, life-history, and ecological diversity of the species.

3.     Secure the long-term persistence of the two polar bear subpopulations in the United States (The Southern Beafort Sea and Chukchi Sea subpopulations).

4.     Recognize the nutritional and cultural traditions of the native peoples with connections to polar bear populations, including the opportunity for stable harvest of polar bears.

5.     Continue to manage human-bear interactions to ensure human safety and to conserve polar bears.

6.     Achieve polar bear conservation while minimizing restrictions to other activities within the range of the polar bear, including economic development.

Taken From: http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Polar%20Bear%20Conservation%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf

The purpose of these goals are to control all variables of polar bear's survival, and with productive global warming reductions, we can ensure the survival of polar bears. While global warming is mentioned, the real issues this plan addresses include managing of peoples' close contact with the Polar bears, and reducing the risk of commercial disasters such as oil spills.

How can we Help?

Our best way to help out the Polar bears is to reduce our own contribution to Global Warming as well as donating to organizations that advocate conservation of these magnificent creatures.
To find out how you can reduce your own carbon footprint, you can use the link below to calculate your current footprint:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/gfn/page/calculators/ 

The next link could help you figure out how to reduce your contribution to climate change:

http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Your-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions

Polar Bears International is an organization that researches these issues, give aid to the polar bears, pressures politics to put a larger tax on carbon emissions, and much more! If you would like to contribute to the solution, their link is here:
http://www.polarbearsinternational.org

Sources:

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Polar%20Bear%20Conservation%20Mgmt%20Plan.pdf

http://www.polarbearsinternational.org

http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/gfn/page/calculators/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_HyqPZdN5s

http://www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Your-Greenhouse-Gas-Emissions