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50 YEARS OF PATROLLING FOR POLAR BEAR POLAR BEARS IN MAGAINE RESEARCH CANADA'S ARCTIC 24 26 No. 1 THE 2021 CIRCLE PUBLISHED BY THE WWF ARCTIC POLAR BEARS: PROGRAMME FACING A CHANGING ARCTIC POLAR BEARS: FACING A CHANGING ARCTIC The Circle 1.2021

• EDITORIAL: MELANIE LANCASTER The Arctic is changing. Can polar bears change with it? 3 • IN BRIEF 4 • NUIANA HARDENBERG and ILUUNA SØRENSEN Our changing relationship with polar bears 6 • JON AARS Svalbard polar bears have proven themselves resourceful, but there are limits 8 • ERIC REGEHR America and Russia work together during challenging times 10 • VARVARA SEMENOVA Growing conflict between people and polar bears 12 • INFOGRAPHIC: Regional polar bear responses to Arctic sea-ice changes 14 • INTERVIEW: CAROLINE LADANOWSKI A circumpolar plan to manage polar bears 16 • MICHAEL CRISPINO Polar bears have a “refuge” in the US Arctic—for now 18 • ANDREW DEROCHER Playing the long game 20 • IAN STIRLING Combining scientific and Indigenous knowledge to conserve polar bears 24 • INTERVIEW: JAMES ENUAPIK Patrolling for polar bears in Whale Cove, Nunavut 26 • THE PICTURE 28

The Circle is published Publisher: Editor-in-chief: COVER: A two-year-old polar quarterly by the WWF WWF Arctic Programme Leanne Clare, [email protected] bear on the shore of Hudson Arctic Programme. 8th floor, 275 Slater St., Ottawa, Reproduction and quotation ON, Canada K1P 5H9 Managing editors: Bay. Photo: Andrew Derocher with appropriate credit are Sarah MacFadyen, [email protected] encouraged. Articles by Internet: www.panda.org/arctic Patti Ryan, [email protected] non-affiliated sources do ABOVE: Polar bear footprints. not necessarily reflect the ISSN 2073-980X = The Circle Web and social media: Photo: Andrew Derocher views or policies of WWF. Fanni Barocsi, [email protected] Send email address changes Date of publication: and subscription inquiries April 2021 Design and production: to [email protected]. Film & Form/Ketill Berger, [email protected] We reserve the right to edit letters for publication, and assume no responsibility for unsolicited material.

2 The Circle 1.2021 EDITORIAL

The Arctic is changing. Can polar bears change with it? THE FIRST TIME I saw a polar bear, I was doing field work suggests they are either eating fewer seals or expending in the Canadian Arctic. In fact, we were visited by six more energy to live. bears within 24 hours as the summer sea ice broke up So on the whole, are polar bears adapting to the loss and bears began moving to land. I felt fortunate that of sea ice? It appears they are trying. How successful three Inuit researchers were in the camp with us. They their efforts will be in the long term remains to be seen. were completely confident in their understanding of the Meanwhile, some of their coping mechanisms are creat- bears’ behaviour and their ability to deter them safely. ing new challenges and exacerbating existing pressures. Thanks to their expertise, I watched these Arctic animals Spending more time on coastlines and in their natural habitat respectfully and without fear. islands among walrus haul-outs and bird As the climate crisis accelerates, I often wonder how colonies is bringing the bears into closer much my experience with polar bears in their element contact with communities, making it hard will become just a fond memory. The for people and bears to climate crisis makes it increasingly co-exist without dan- difficult to predict how these bears will The disappearance of polar gerous consequences. fare as their habitat shrinks. That said, In their search for new there is broad agreement that the loss bears—even if from only prey, polar bears are of habitat will have a negative impact certain parts of the Arctic— decimating some sea- MELANIE LANCASTER on polar bear populations across the bird breeding colonies, is a conservation biolo- Arctic. Indeed, in some subpopulations, would be a blow for the with as-yet unknown gist and senior specialist in Arctic species with impacts have already been evident for ecological outcomes. As global south, but a concrete WWF. more than a decade. The accepted esti- the appetite for indus- mate is that under the current global and immeasurable loss for trial development of the climate trajectory, one third of polar Arctic Indigenous Peoples. Arctic increases, so too will the overlap bears will be lost in the next 30 years. between mineral deposits and denning But what will the pathway to that point habitats, with polar bears shifting from look like for polar bears, and what new challenges can we unstable sea ice onto land to give birth. expect and prepare for? September’s sea-ice minimum was the second lowest in To explore that question, this issue of The Circle high- recorded history. Glaciers continue to recede at a record lights some of the situations unfolding across the Arctic pace and temperatures in the Arctic continue to soar. as polar bears experience the effects of climate change. Clearly, there are legitimate reasons to be concerned In two Eastern Canadian subpopulations, as annual sea about the long-term persistence of polar bears. We must ice replaces multi-year ice, polar bears are in better shape move beyond concern and take global actions to reduce than they were two decades ago, partly due to the greater greenhouse gas emissions. The disappearance of polar abundance of prey. Around Svalbard—despite the loss bears—even if from only certain parts of the Arctic— of sea ice and the resulting disconnection of summer would be a blow for the global south, but a concrete and habitats from traditional maternal denning sites—cub immeasurable loss for Arctic Indigenous Peoples. We production and population sizes are stable. In contrast, must all work together so polar bears can maintain their the general condition of western Hudson Bay polar bears place in the Arctic ecosystem. l

The Circle 1.2021 3 IN BRIEF A pod of narwhals.

THE ARCTIC FOOD CHAIN Human medications detected in Spitsbergen crustaceans

RESEARCHERS WITH the antibiotics and an anti- Little is currently known Norwegian Polar Institute depressant. about the concentrations and and University Centre in Crustaceans occupy levels of exposure of Arctic Svalbard have discovered the lowest levels of the wildlife to pharmaceutical evidence of a variety of drugs food chain, so any drug drugs or how big a problem in Arctic crustaceans near compounds they absorb it may be. The project’s find- the settlement of Ny-Ålesund are passed along to larger ings may be used to influence on the west coast of Spits- animals. Copepods (small the future management of bergen. Comparatively few aquatic crustaceans), in par- the Arctic regions and inform people live in the area, so the ticular, are rich in fats and national and international team was surprised to find are an essential food source regulatory governance on traces of anti-inflammatories, for Arctic fish and seabirds. land and at sea.

NARWHAL SCIENCE Studying tusks to understand Arctic sea-ice changes

ACCORDING TO A STUDY published in Current Biol- ogy , researchers have found that narwhals’ tusks hold vital clues about their food intake—and also shed light on The oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989, the state of their environment spilling nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil. over the past half century, Photo: Office of Response and Restoration,CC, Flickr.com including how quickly Arctic INNOVATION sea ice is melting. Could a nano-engineered sponge soak up Arctic oil spills? The narwhal’s distinctive

A WARMER ARCTIC will At low temperatures, crude pre-heating. The team engi- increase the risk of oil spills oil’s heavier compounds neered it with a paraffin-like CHANGING RIVERS as tankers find it easier to begin to crystallize, creating nano-coating designed navigate increasingly ice- large, sticky masses that to bind to any sticky oil it Heavier rains alter High Arctic landscapes free waters. But a British other technologies have encounters. In tests, the research team has come up struggled to pick up. sponge absorbed up to 99 CANADIAN RESEARCHERS with a possible solution to Developed by scientists per cent of Texas raw crude have found that increased oil spills in polar areas. at Imperial College London, oil in 100 millilitres of water rainfall in the Canadian High The technology is essen- the sponge seems able within 3 hours at tempera- Arctic is altering river hydrol- tially a sponge that can to tackle a spill directly, tures as low as 5°C. ogy and water quality, a find- absorb oil from cold water. capturing the oil with no ing that has implications for northern communities.

4 The Circle 1.2021 NARWHAL SCIENCE Studying tusks to understand Arctic sea-ice changes Photo: Dr. Kristin Laidre/NOAA/OAR/OER Photo: Dr.

tusk is actually a canine tooth tusks from 10 narwhals in around 1990 indicated that The amount of mercury in that projects from the left side northwest Greenland to the narwhals’ diet had begun the narwhals’ tusks after 2000 of the upper jaws of males, deduce what the whales had to shift from prey linked to sea continued to increase signifi- and is thought to help them eaten throughout their lives ice—like halibut and Arctic cantly without a correspond- obtain food. Narwhals have and understand how the ice cod—to include open-ocean ing shift in diet. Researchers a lifespan of more than 50 cover and impact of toxic prey that are lower in the hypothesized that this could years, and much like the rings compounds had changed over food chain, such as capelin be due to coal mining com- of tree trunks, their spiralled time. The tusks provided and polar cod. The ice in bustion in southeast Asia or a tusks add new layers each clues about the state of sea northwest Greenland began shift in the Arctic’s environ- year. ice because the presence of its decline around the same mental mercury cycle caused The scientists analyzed mercury in the tusks starting period. by the warming climate.

CHANGING RIVERS Heavier rains alter High Arctic landscapes

The multi-year study, pub- Island in Nunavut. It found Understanding these downstream by causing riv- lished last month in Nature that at higher latitudes, changes is vital for northern ers to deposit mud into lakes. Communications, document- spring snowmelt is no longer communities trying to adapt On the other hand, they ed and analyzed hydrological always the main source of to the climate crisis. Some- may create more favourable changes happening at the water. In some years, heavier what counter-intuitively, conditions for aquatic life by Cape Bounty Arctic Water- rainfall is the dominant heavier rains may create carrying more nutrients and shed Observatory on Melville source of river flow. less secure water supplies minerals to lakes and ponds.

The Circle 1.2021 5 Nuiana Hardenberg Youth view Our changing relationship with polar bears

Save the polar bears! The media demands action to save the cuddly-looking white bears before they vanish. But as NUIANA HARD- ENBERG and ILUUNA SØRENSEN write, the irony is that humans are the cause of their decline. Youth are determined to help bring about a solution.

AROUND THE WORLD, humans mistreat Mother Earth and perpetuate the climate crisis by building and supporting

CO2-emitting industries so capitalism can continue undeterred. Meanwhile, climate change is pushing polar bears into cities in search of food, and the residents are shooting the bears to protect themselves. “Have you ever seen a polar bear?” is a question we are often asked when travelling outside of Greenland. If we say no, then we feel we have not lived up to the stereotype. If we say, “Yes, but only a dead one,” people may be shocked, and see us as savages contrib- uting to the extinction of polar bears.

Photo: Natta Summerky We have to explain that sometimes, kill- “When I was 10, I remember ing a bear is necessary for our people’s school was cancelled in Sisimiut safety. Our generation didn’t cause the so we could see a polar bear that If not for the climate climate crisis that is leading bears into had been killed. The students conflicts with humans, but we must live got a chance to see the process of crisis, polar bears would with it. preparing the polar bear’s meat. It Greenland is home to one of the was a way to pass the traditional have plenty of ice for largest ice sheets on Earth. This year, knowledge on to the younger gen- seal hunting and would the icebergs that broke off from this ice eration. It was a rare experience sheet had already formed in late Janu- to see such a majestic animal up not be found prowling ary—something that typically shouldn’t close.”—Iluuna Sørensen happen until May. Such signs of climate in populated areas. change are a constant reminder of the consequences of our actions. As human

6 The Circle 1.2021 Youth view Our changing relationship with polar bears

beings, in many cases we can adapt to our changing climate. But we can- NUIANA HARDENBERG is soon to be a student at not expect the same for all plants and Our generation didn’t Hult International Business School. She is currently animals. Polar bears cannot just find cause the climate crisis at home in Nuuk, Greenland, on a sabbatical. another way to hunt or go further and ILUUNA SØRENSEN is based in the Netherlands further north. that is leading bears into and will soon graduate from the United World Col- lege Maastricht. HUMAN-BEAR CONFLICTS conflicts with humans, They co-founded Greenland4Nature, a youth NGO INCREASING focused on sustainability, biodiversity and climate For Indigenous People in Greenland, but we must live with it. change, with Kira Lennert Olsen. hunting polar bears has long been part of a traditional lifestyle. But our traditional way wasn’t to kill polar bears when they came to us. Unfortunately, more and more polar bears are coming into our communities—with tragic consequences for the bears. For example, in 2014, a polar bear that wandered into Sisimiut and attracted a crowd of onlookers was shot for safety reasons. The situation is unnatural and uninten- tional. If not for the climate crisis, polar bears would have plenty of ice for seal hunting and would not be found prowling in populated areas. If we as humans don’t act to change our lifestyles, should we be surprised if polar bears become extinct? Or if they try to avoid such a plight by adapting to life on land, like big white grizzly bears? Although the situation seems hope- less, as Greenlandic youth, we remain hopeful. Our local organization, Greenland4Nature, offers workshops and conferences. Our goal is to spread awareness of the impacts of climate change across Greenland and convey youth voices internationally. There is a lot of work to be done locally and globally. We won’t dismiss our responsibilities. If our nation’s leaders do not live up to theirs, we will continue to speak up loudly—for Greenland, for our youth and for our polar bears. l

You can find Greenland4Nature on Facebook and Instagram. Iluuna Sorensen The Circle 1.2021 7 A polar bear swims between ice floes north of Svalbard.

Life on the edge Svalbard polar bears have proven themselves resourceful, but there are limits Photo: Linking Tourism & Conservation, CC, Flickr.com Tourism Photo: Linking

The Barents Sea is home to one of the world’s 19 recognized polar bear populations. But in recent decades, sea ice has been diminishing more quickly here than anywhere else in the Arctic. As JON AARS explains, it hasn’t yet led to population declines, but it is affecting the bears’ lives in several ways.

THE BARENTS SEA polar bears live in ating loss of their sea-ice habitat in the midwinter to a couple of small cubs, Svalbard, Norway and the western Rus- ensuing years. Given scientists’ predic- generally every third year if the cubs live sian Arctic. In Svalbard, in the century tions that the ice will continue to recede until they are weaned at the age of two. before the 1973 in future decades, polar bears in the area JON AARS is a agreement to are bound to face further challenges, and THE LONG TREK TO FIND A DEN senior research conserve polar their numbers will likely decline. We just Female polar bears who live at the ice scientist who bears (see box), don’t know when. edge may have to travel hundreds of leads the commercial Some 3,000 polar bears—a ninth of kilometres to reach their denning areas Norwegian hunters killed the world’s total stock—belong to the in Svalbard. This distance was easier to polar bear program at the more than Barents Sea population. The majority cover when the ice edge extended further Norwegian Polar Institute. 30,000 of depend on the ice edge to hunt for most south. The bears could walk on the ice to these bears. of the year. However, all adult female reach the islands in autumn. These days, The popula- polar bears build their dens on the they sometimes have to swim hundreds tion increased after the agreement was Norwegian (Svalbard) or Russian (Franz of kilometres to get there—a feat that is signed—only to face the rapidly acceler- Josef Land) islands. They give birth in not only risky, but costs them consider-

8 The Circle 1.2021 K Polar bear maternity den

Suøyane

N Raudforden Nordaustlandet

iefde- forden , km Woodforden Wideforden S H K

S p it s b e r g e n S ong arls and Is- Barents- forden øya

Longyearbyen N

Stor-

forden Edgeøya

Van eulenforden

Hornsund

km , km , km E E Norwegian Polar Institute

The 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears

In 1973, the five polar bear range states (Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United States and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) signed a Franz Josef Land multilateral treaty on the conservation of polar bears. It prohibits unregulated Svalbard sport hunting as well as hunting from aircraft or large motorized vehicles, and requires the nations to protect the bears’ ecosystems, with special attention to migration routes, denning and feeding sites. See page 16 for more information on the agreement.

able energy. We also suspect that more on the ice edge. We know more about example, females do not need to travel as bears have begun going to Franz Josef the Svalbard bears than the ice-edge far to find dens, but the retreating sea ice Land than to Svalbard to den. This is a bears because we are usually working is shortening their hunting season, which successful workaround for now, but in in Svalbard when we capture and mark could leave them with less fat reserves to 10 to 20 years’ time, they may face a long bears for research purposes—and the survive the winter and provide milk for swim to get to Franz Josef Land too. challenges they face as temperatures fast-growing cubs. They may be in their About 300 polar bears remain in climb are very different from those dens without food for as long as half a Svalbard year-round rather than hunting encountered by their ice-edge peers. For year.

The Circle 1.2021 9 PREDICTING THE FUTURE OF SVALBARD BEARS Overcoming pandemic challenges to study polar bears in the Chukchi Sea So far, the Svalbard bears are not in poor condition, and they are still reproducing. The question is: why do they seem to be thriving despite having access to less sea America and Russia work together during challenging times ice? There are a few possible answers. It could be that the density of bears is still low compared to what it was before people started to hunt. That would mean less competition for food resources. Another relevant factor is that polar bears are good at adapting and using every resource they can find. For example, we have seen a change in their feeding strategies. Hunting ringed seals in spring is still important. Polar bears also used to hunt seals near glaciers on the fjord ice in summer.

Now that the sea ice is often lacking, Photo: Gennadiy Federov they spend more time plundering bird Staff of the Wrangel Island Statue Nature Reserve ready for ground-based obser- colonies for eggs and chicks. We also see vational surveys of polar bears on Wrangel Island in 2020. Left to right: Ulyana them hunting harbour seals, which are Babiy (scientist), Pavel Kulemeev (scientist) and Denis Vasiliev (ranger). becoming more common in Svalbard even though they are not an Arctic species. The bears also take reindeer, something they were not known to do in decades past. Walrus—which are themselves quickly recovering from earlier unsustainable hunting—are also food for Svalbard polar bears. It will be interesting to see how the local Svalbard bears do in future years as the sea ice continues to diminish. Unlike polar bears in some other Arctic areas, they have few competitors (such as brown bears, wolves or wolverines). But the fact that polar bears depend on sea ice in all the areas they occupy suggests there will be a threshold for this population too. They have proven resilient in the face of challenges so far, but to continue to thrive, they will need access to sea ice to hunt seals for at least a period in spring and early summer. For now, polar bears in the Barents Sea area seem to be coping with their Eric Regehr habitat loss. However, as the sea ice monitors a continues to disappear, it is likely they sedated polar will be challenged at some point. Being a bear during polar bear in Svalbard today is already a live-capture very different experience compared to 30 research in the or 40 years ago, and the environment is Chukchi Sea. changing swiftly. l Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service.

10 The Circle 1.2021 Overcoming pandemic challenges to study polar bears in the Chukchi Sea America and Russia work together during challenging times Studying polar bears is not easy, even in ideal conditions. The Arctic is immense and remote in a way that is hard to fathom in our world of fast travel and instant communica- tion. Research is expensive, often dangerous and takes months of planning. ERIC REGEHR explains how, like so many other things, research became even more difficult with COVID-19—and how teamwork kept it going.

ALTHOUGH 2020 saw most field research projects cancelled across the Arctic, not all the news was bad. The Chukchi Sea polar bear subpopulation was a welcome bright spot, not only in terms of how the bears are faring, but because of a unique collaboration that allowed research to continue even as the pandemic ground most activities around the world to a halt. The Chukchi Sea polar bear subpopulation inhabits the ice of the Bering, Chukchi and East Siberian seas, with bears moving freely between the United States and Russia. In 2008, when polar bears were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, Photo: Pavel Kulemeev. the American government started live- An adult female polar bear and her cubs rest on Wrangel Island. capture research on the subpopulation that involved immobilizing bears on the sea ice. That study provided a wealth nutritional ecology of these bears, not are reluctant to of information on the habitat use and to mention the first proper estimate of cross. With the ERIC REGEHR their abundance: it turns out there are ice literally melt- is principal about 3,000 bears, one of the world’s ing beneath our quantitative largest subpopulations. feet, it was clear ecologist with Intriguingly, from 2008 to 2017, that we needed the Polar In the past decade, large researchers found that Chukchi Sea a new approach Science Center at the Uni- polar bears maintained good body to continue versity of Washington and areas of spring ice west of condition (fatness) and reproduction studying this principal investigator on Alaska have transitioned rates despite climate change, likely due subpopulation. American–Russian polar to the region’s high biological productiv- bear research on Wrangel from a solid platform ity. Although sea-ice loss has not yet WRANGEL Island. He has worked with had negative effects on these bears, it ISLAND: A 11 of the world’s 19 polar capable of supporting a has, ironically, limited scientists’ abil- SANCTUARY bear subpopulations. ity to study them. In the past decade, Enter Wran- helicopter to an unstable large areas of spring ice west of Alaska gel Island, a surface that even polar bears have transitioned from a solid platform 7,600-square-kilometre island with the capable of supporting a helicopter to an greatest level of environmental protec- are reluctant to cross. unstable surface that even polar bears tion in Russia. Each summer when the

The Circle 1.2021 11 ice melts, most Chukchi Sea bears come to Wrangel to rest until the ocean freez- Tensions in northern Russia es again. Pregnant females give birth in snow dens on the island, emerging with new cubs in the spring. In 2016, American and Russian scientists began Growing conflict collaborative research on Wrangel under a bilateral treaty. By 2019, they had collected data on habitat use, body condition and reproduction for 1,600 between people polar bears. They used non-invasive methods to collect genetic samples from another 100. In addition to collecting data needed and polar bears for management and conservation using systematic survey methods, the project Crumbling coasts, thawing permafrost, rising sea levels has sought to build capacity among Rus- and thinning sea ice: these are the modern realities of sian scientists. This paid dividends in the Arctic as it faces the climate crisis. VARVARA SEMENOVA 2020 when experienced staff from the Wrangel Island State Nature Reserve explains how they are also increasing conflicts between conducted research without American people and polar bears in northeastern Russia. participation (due to COVID-19 restric- tions). The researchers collected obser- vational data on a record 747 bears and FOR POLAR BEARS, the diminishing genetic samples from 113 bears. sea ice is not just a problem—it’s an “The polar bear, an eternal Climate change is the primary threat existential threat. In some areas, the ice wanderer among the ice of the to polar bears. Even subpopulations now disappears completely in the sum- Arctic Ocean, is as inseparable like the Chukchi Sea, which appear to mer and autumn months, and where it from the Arctic landscape as the ice be doing well for now, are expected to does remain, it is younger and thinner. itself. Large, energetic, extraordi- experience stress and declining num- It melts earlier and freezes later, forcing narily strong and at the same time bers as sea-ice loss continues. As the the ice-dependent top predators to seek peaceful, this beast is a magnificent summers lengthen, Wrangel Island is new ways to adapt and survive. Unfortu- living emblem of the Arctic.” providing bears with a critical terrestrial nately, some of the bears’ coping strate- This is how the famous Rus- refuge and researchers with an opportu- gies are bringing them into conflict with sian polar bear specialist Savva nity to collect data needed for managing people. Uspensky described the polar bear and conserving the Chukchi Sea sub- in 1977. population. American-Russian research WHAT’S GOING ON? But a lot has changed since then. on the island represents the type of Let’s consider the Chukotka region in The polar bear is now associated international cooperation and capacity northeastern Russia. Ryrkaypiy is a less with ice and more with coast- development that will be increasingly rural coastal settlement in the area, lines, islands and settlements—and important as climate change affects just opposite Wrangel Island (often there is more talk about the bears’ both polar bears and our ability to study referred to as a polar bear maternity conflicts with humans than about them. l ward). Because of this proximity, polar their peacefulness. bears are frequent guests in Ryrkaipiy. This study is supported by the Wrangel Throughout most of the summer and Island State Nature Reserve, the Uni- autumn, anywhere from five to 60 polar which did not leave the bay even in the versity of Washington, the US Fish and bears live along Kozhevnikov Cape, summer months. Wildlife Service, WWF, the All-Russian within 700 metres of the settlement. On These days, a “polar bear patrol” Research Institute for Environment the same cape, a walrus haul-out forms works in the village to prevent the polar Protection, Polar Bears International, annually. Their carcasses serve as a food bears from getting too close. It keeps the Alaska Department of Fish and source. them away from garbage cans and Game and the Campion Foundation. Many residents of the village can responds to calls about bears that may recall that 20 years ago, there were no threaten villagers’ safety. walruses or polar bears here—just ice, Patrol members say that generally, it’s

12 The Circle 1.2021 where a polar bear came into a village ALASKA early in the morning and started going into the entryways of houses and check- Novaya ing the trash cans. People were fright- Zemlya ened. We tried to chase him away for a long time, but he clearly didn’t want to leave.”

Wrangel Island MORE CONFLICT AS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS EXPAND In western parts of the Russian Arctic, Billings human activity has spread rapidly in recent years. New work camps and mili- Ryrkaypiy tary units are being built, and offshore oil and gas exploration and production are underway. Chukotka The internet is replete with footage Autonomous from these places showing polar bears Okrug walking from house to house, eating cookies from human hands, or digging through garbage as people cheer them on. These sorts of human behaviours seem to habituate some of the bears RUSSIA 0 100 200 300 400 km so they are no longer afraid of people. Map: Ketill Berger, ﬁlmform.no Map: Ketill Berger, This can lead to greater conflict, with the potential for deadly consequences on both sides. The most striking images easier to drive the polar bears away than have come from the Novaya Zemlya to explain to fellow villagers why they “I tell them, ‘Be patient, the archipelago, where dozens of polar shouldn’t shoot them. This is especially polar bears have nowhere bears now live in garbage dumps. The true when a dozen polar bears have fact that this has happened leaves no congregated near a village and people to go. Look at the sea, question as to why some bears are no are afraid for their families. longer afraid of people. It is obvious “I tell them, ‘Be patient, the polar there is no ice there,’” says that human behaviours are pushing the bears have nowhere to go. Look at the bears toward conflict, with the potential sea, there is no ice there,’” says Tatyana Tatyana Minenko, head of for deadly Minenko, head of the village’s bear consequences on the village’s bear patrol. VARVARA patrol. “I point out that here, they can at both sides. SEMENOVA is least get enough to eat and wait for the As sea ice WWF–Russia’s ice to appear.” continues to Arctic species Maxim Deminov, another patroller, have been on the alert constantly from shrink, encoun- coordinator. says he feels that living alongside each August to the end of November. Some- ters between other for 15 years, humans and bears times during those months, polar bears people and have somehow learned to co-exist. have had to be driven out of Billings polar bears on land are likely to become “We have an unspoken agreement every single day—even several times more frequent. The outcomes of such with the bears: we don’t bother them on a day. But there is no walrus haul-out encounters will depend largely on the the cape, and they don’t come into the nearby, so the animals don’t usually stay choices people make. We can learn from village. If a bear violates this agreement, for long. the patrols in Chukotka and drive bears we drive it off hard with a snowmobile Patrol member Boris Ivashev says away from places where people live and and some pretty painful rubber bullets. he thinks some bears have become less work without harming them, or we can Fortunately, in recent years, no people afraid of people. keep provoking them into conflicts by or bears have been hurt.” “I try to scare them off with my ATV, attracting them with food. Hopefully In recent years, residents of Billings, but they look at me and don’t react,” he communities and individuals can learn another rural settlement in Chukotka, says. “This year, there was an incident to make the right choices. l

The Circle 1.2021 13 Regional polar bear responses to Arctic sea-ice changes 30 fewer bears in 30 years 10 2020 ■ Scientists predict that by 2050, as a result of 8 ■ Sea ice is essential trations in the Arctic have ■ The changes we are seeing are sea-ice loss, the world will lose a third of its 2 polar bears. 6 habitat for polar declined in every decade not uniform. Polar bears are experi- ■ Ice-free summers are expected as soon as 2050 4 bears—but across the since the start of satellite encing and responding to them in 2035. September 1,000,000 km Arctic, it is disappearing records in 1979. The ice different ways and at different rates ■ The trajectories of sea-ice loss vary from sea-ice extent 2050 onward, depending on the mitigation 2 quickly. As a result of that remains is younger, depending on what part of the measures we take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. 0 rising temperatures thinner, melts earlier in Arctic they inhabit. Encounters 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 caused by the climate spring and refreezes later between people and bears are on crisis, sea-ice concen- in autumn. the rise across the region. Laptev Sea Laptev Sea: Using walrus breeding grounds Southern Beaufort Sea: Denning onshore

In summer and early Polar bears spend the summer Last Ice Area: Last refuge? fall, sea-ice cover is months in walrus breeding grounds In summer, less sea Many bears stay with the ice in Female polar bears 14 steadily declining. along the coast and feed on young, ice remains over the summer and ride it north. have shifted onto land sick or dead walrus.15 continental shelf, Others come onto land to feed to make their dens.3 Southern where polar bear on the carcasses of subsis- prey are found. tence-hunted bowhead whales.2 Beaufort Sea This part of the Arctic has the Not much is known about the polar oldest, thickest sea ice. It is the bears here. Scientists anticipate that Svalbard: Future challenges place where summer sea ice is this area will be an important refuge M’Clintock Channel and Gulf of Boothia: Less ice, more food expected to last the longest.12 as climate change continues to cause profound loss of sea ice.13

Last Ice Area Svalbard is home to the fastest-di- Where some bears used to Polar bears here are The past three decades minishing sea-ice habitat among all be able to walk to denning continuing to recover 19 polar bear subpopulations in the locations on sea ice in from past commercial have completely The bears in M’Clin- Arctic. In the last 30 years, the autumn, they now have to and recreational transformed the tock Channel are fatter Svalbard ice-free season has lengthened by 20 swim. hunting.18 seascape. Old sea ice is than they were in the weeks.16 Sea ice no longer connects replaced by annual ice There is higher productivity mid- to late 1990s,6 to some denning habitats on islands that melts and forms among ﬁsh and seals, leading and their numbers in the Svalbard archipelago.17 anew each year. The to better hunting opportunities have risen over the M’Clintock ocean is more open. for polar bears.4,5 past 2 decades.7 Channel

Gulf of East Greenland: Getting closer to people Hudson Bay: Less ice means lower survival rates Boothia

Sea ice is Polar bears have less body fat9 and There has been dramatic loss The lack of ice is bringing polar bears closer 20 freezing later in populations are declining.10 Cub survival of sea ice in the southeast in to villages, increasing the number of autumn and rates are lower. Polar bears are spending the past 2 decades. Sea ice is dangerous interactions with people and the melting earlier more time on land and turning to terrestrial freezing later in autumn and potential for conﬂict. 19 in spring.8 food sources.11 East melting earlier in spring. Hudson Bay Greenland

1. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JC005436 5. https://www.nwmb.com/en/public-hearings-a-meetings/meetings/ 7. https://www.nwmb.com/en/public-hearings-a-meetings/meetings/ 2. 10.1007/s00300-008-0439-7 regular-meetings/2021/rm-001-2021-march-10-2021/english-14/8776- regular-meetings/2021/rm-001-2021-march-10-2021/english-14/8776- tab2c-gn-final-report-mclintock-polar-bear-study-2014-2016-eng/file tab2c-gn-final-report-mclintock-polar-bear-study-2014-2016-eng/file 3. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyx181 6. https://www.nwmb.com/en/public-hearings-a-meetings/meetings/regu- 8. 10.14430/arctic935 4. https://www.nwmb.com/en/public-hearings-a-meetings/meetings/regular-meetings/2021/rm-001-2021-march-10-2021/english-14/8779-tab3c- lar-meetings/2021/rm-001-2021-march-10-2021/english-14/8779-tab3c- 9. 10.14430/arctic935 gn-final-report-gulf-of-boothia-polar-bear-study-2015-2017-eng/file gn-final-report-gulf-of-boothia-polar-bear-study-2015-2017-eng/file 10. http://pbsg.npolar.no/en/status/population-map.html

14 The Circle 1.2021 Regional polar bear responses to Arctic sea-ice changes 30 fewer bears in 30 years 10 2020 ■ Scientists predict that by 2050, as a result of 8 ■ Sea ice is essential trations in the Arctic have ■ The changes we are seeing are sea-ice loss, the world will lose a third of its 2 polar bears. 6 habitat for polar declined in every decade not uniform. Polar bears are experi- ■ Ice-free summers are expected as soon as 2050 4 bears—but across the since the start of satellite encing and responding to them in 2035. September 1,000,000 km Arctic, it is disappearing records in 1979. The ice different ways and at different rates ■ The trajectories of sea-ice loss vary from sea-ice extent 2050 onward, depending on the mitigation 2 quickly. As a result of that remains is younger, depending on what part of the measures we take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally. 0 rising temperatures thinner, melts earlier in Arctic they inhabit. Encounters 1850 1900 1950 2000 2050 2100 caused by the climate spring and refreezes later between people and bears are on crisis, sea-ice concen- in autumn. the rise across the region. Laptev Sea Laptev Sea: Using walrus breeding grounds Southern Beaufort Sea: Denning onshore

Gulf of East Greenland: Getting closer to people Hudson Bay: Less ice means lower survival rates Boothia

11.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.740 15. https://polarjournal.ch/en/2020/10/26/friendship- 18. https://doi.org/10.1080/17518369.2017.1374125 12. https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052868 between-polar-bears-and-walrus/ 19. https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JC005436 13. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12474 16. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2027-2016 20.https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2018.00135 14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glopla- 17. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09406 cha.2004.12.004 Design: Ketill Berger, filmform.no

The Circle 1.2021 15 The Polar Bear Range States Agreement A circumpolar plan to manage polar bears In 1973, Canada, Denmark, Norway, the United States and Russia (then the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)—collectively known as the Range States—came together to sign the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. Because more than two-thirds of the world’s polar bears can be found in the Canadian Arctic, Canada has a significant stake in the agreement’s success. CAROLINE LADANOWSKI is Canada’s head of delegation and current chair of the Polar Bear Range States Agreement. As she tells The Circle, the agreement is not only key to shaping international and domestic polar bear research and management—it is critical to the bears’ long-term survival.

Why do you think international Range States to document any changes conservation efforts are so impor- in the amount and quality of essential tant for polar bears across the habitat within their borders—such as Arctic? feeding, mating and denning habitats, Many of the threats facing polar bears, migration corridors and terrestrial such as climate change, pollution and refugia. This would generate the most shipping, are circumpolar in nature, so accurate picture of the state of polar the most effective way to manage them bear habitat internationally. is through international cooperation on research and management initiatives. What successes do you think the This will ensure we have access to the original 1973 Agreement has led to best available information to inform in Canada? decisions about conserving and manag- When the agreement was signed, one ing polar bears and their habitat. of the largest threats to polar bears was For example, the most effective thought to be unsustainable harvest approach to monitoring essential in some subpopulations. Since then, habitat for polar bears would be for all Canada has built a robust system for sustainable harvest management. We have also made considerable progress in establishing domestic and inter- Caroline Ladanowski. The Circumpolar Action Plan jurisdictional arrangements for polar (CAP) for polar bears bear research and management, often through legally binding and non- a Circumpolar Action Plan for polar The polar bear Range States binding instruments. bears. This was developed in 2015 and is met in March 2020 in Svalbard now known as the CAP. That plan’s goal to discuss their ongoing coop- In 2013, the Range States made a is to secure the long-term persistence eration to conserve polar bears. joint declaration at the Interna- of polar bears in the wild and preserve WWF published a blog about tional Forum on the Conservation their diversity. Second, it recognized the meeting and the progress to of Polar Bears. How did it change that climate change is the main threat to date, including an assessment of the focus of the Range States when polar bears—and that there’s an urgent whether international polar bear it comes to addressing the threats need for effective global mitigation of conservation efforts were working. to polar bears? greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, the See Polar Bears Need the World There were three key components declaration recognized the importance to Act. to the declaration. First, it commit- and value of traditional ecological ted the Range States to developing knowledge in informing management

16 The Circle 1.2021 Climate change is an international problem that all countries must work together to solve.

decisions, something that is important to Canada.

Why is it critical that the Range States work together to address climate change? Climate change is an international problem that all countries must work together to solve. Range States can communicate to

the public, policymakers and legislators Photo: Peter Prokosch, www.grida.no/resources/4437 around the world the importance of Polar bears wander the tundra near near Churchill, Hudson Bay. Polar bears in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. this region may be among the first to show negative effects associated with climate They are currently working closely with warming and the consequent loss of sea ice. non-governmental organizations, Indig- enous Peoples, academics and other partners to develop a strategy to convey What more do the Range States tion of Polar Bears. At this time, the the impact of climate change on polar need to do to ensure they can meet Range States will assess their progress bears and the Arctic environment. the agreement’s targets? toward the CAP targets over the plan’s We are also managing and reducing During the 2020 Range States’ Meet- first eight years. We will also develop the impact of other potential stressors ing of the Parties, we developed seven a clear path forward for the remaining on polar bears and their ecosystems, objectives to guide our work from 2020 two years. such as oil and gas and mining devel- to 2023. These involve work on climate opment, unsustainable harvesting, change communications, protection of How hopeful are you that the nec- pollution and other anthropogenic essential habitat, sustainable harvest, essary steps can be taken to ensure disturbances. management of human-bear conflicts, polar bears’ long-term survival? international trade of polar bears, and I am very hopeful that through the You mentioned that in 2015, the coordination of research and monitor- collaborative work of Canada, Green- Range States developed the CAP. ing. Focusing on these objectives will land, Norway, Russia and the United What has it achieved? enable us to make significant strides. States—and through the efforts of So far, the Range States have collabo- When the next meeting takes place in people around the world to reduce their rated on research initiatives about the Canada in early 2023, it will commemo- greenhouse gas emissions—polar bears impacts of tourism on polar bears, the rate the 50th anniversary of the signing will persist in the wild for the foresee- impacts of climate change on human- of the 1973 Agreement on the Conserva- able future. l polar bear conflicts, the levels and effects of contaminants on polar bears and their prey, and sea-ice indicators of polar bear habitat. We have also worked So far, the Range States have collaborated on research together to produce tools, techniques and best practices related to human- initiatives about the impacts of tourism on polar bears, the polar bear conflict, a compendium of studies summarizing Indigenous impacts of climate change on human-polar bear conflicts, Knowledge related to polar bears, and the levels and effects of contaminants on polar bears and a website with information about the work of the Range States. their prey, and sea-ice indicators of polar bear habitat.

The Circle 4.2020 17 A haven for polar bears Polar bears have a “refuge” in the US Arctic—for now The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain has become a haven for polar bears looking for a safe place to den with their cubs as sea ice continues to retreat. The oil and gas exploratory activities that could kill these bears have come to a halt, but as MICHAEL CRISPINO explains, the threat remains.

IT’S ALMOST BREEDING SEASON for polar population along Alaska’s North Slope lennia. Indigenous People living in the bears. Come fall, pregnant females will Borough have adapted by making their United States and Canada—including begin creating dens where they will give dens on land along the Coastal Plain of Gwich’in, Iñupiat and Inuvialuit—con- birth to and protect their cubs until the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. tinue to maintain close connections to they’re ready to venture out alone in It’s an attractive spot. the bounty of the environment. the Arctic’s unforgiving environment. The changing climate and the pros- The world that cubs are born into next A LONG HISTORY OF VALUE pect of profits first began drawing the oil winter will look much different than it The US government first protected the and gas industry to the Coastal Plain in did a couple of decades ago. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal the 1960s. While the goal is extraction, Sea ice is essential habitat for polar Plain and surrounding areas in 1960. the first step is conducting seismic test- bears—they need it to find mates, travel, But that was hardly the first time the ing to locate oil deposits. This activity hunt and create maternal dens. But the value of this landscape was recognized. requires heavy, destructive tracked ice is retreating, and scientists estimate The rich productivity and biodiversity vehicles to conduct surveys and drag that roughly one-third of all female found in the Arctic Refuge have sus- large camps across the tundra to house bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea tained Indigenous communities for mil- hundreds of workers. This equipment

Often described as barren, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Arctic Coastal Plain is far from it. The Hulahula River in the area is designated for petroleum extraction.

18 The Circle 1.2021 Photo: Danielle Brigida, US Fish and Wildlife Service A haven for polar bears Polar bears have a “refuge” in the US Arctic—for now is heavy enough to disturb and possibly al development of the area is now widely oil is beneath the surface of the Coastal even crush dens, potentially killing viewed as a failed idea, and any hope that Plain, but there is a strong scientific mothers and their cubs. remained for those who still want to drill consensus that it should remain where it Not all Alaska Natives are opposed was quickly dampened with the arrival of is. The climate crisis is rapidly changing to drilling. It can bring much-needed a new presidential administration. the entire region, and its implications revenue into remote communities that During its first days in office, the are global. More oil to burn would only would otherwise have few economic Biden administration paused all activi- fuel the crisis and put the Refuge and alternatives. In fact, an Alaska Native ties that advance oil and gas develop- everything in it at risk from toxic spills corporation is currently seeking permis- ment on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic and mishaps. Large-scale industrial sion to conduct seismic testing—and Refuge. It’s a temporary reprieve, but it development would also degrade the ultimately, to drill—in the Coastal Plain. gives all forms of life in the Refuge some Coastal Plain’s majestic landscape and room to breathe—for the first time in undermine its ecosystem functions. A TURNING TIDE a long time. And lawmakers in the US If permanent protections are secured, Still, over the last few years, industry has Congress have introduced the Arctic and if Alaska Native communities have largely backed off its interest in the area. Refuge Protection Act, which would the support they need to reduce their Big-name financial firms have pledged repeal the oil and gas programme in the economic reliance on fossil fuel produc- not to support activities in the Refuge, Refuge and protect the Coastal Plain tion, then polar bear cubs born into the and in January 2021, the oil and gas from any future oil and gas exploration next generation may find that a differ- industry largely failed to show up for a or development. ent world awaits them—perhaps a less rushed sale of oil and gas leases. Industri- No one is quite sure just how much threatening one. That part is up to us. l

MICHAEL CRISPINO is senior director, Oceans communications for WWF–US and leads its communications on the Arctic.

No one is quite sure just how much oil is beneath the surface of the Coastal Plain, but there is a strong scientific consensus that it should remain where it is. The Circle 1.2021 19 A.E. Derocher, University of Alberta, Canada 20 TheCircle ringed sealsandbeardedseals. spread widelyacrossthe Arctic seaice: abundant foodresourcethatwasonce Polar bearsevolvedtoexploitan 1.2021 Understanding what fuels polar bear energy Playing the long game Polar bears evolved from a brown, terrestrial omnivore to become a white, marine carnivore that has long thrived in the Arctic’s icy environment. But as ANDREW DEROCHER explains, given the pace of change in the Arctic, evolution doesn’t favour this highly specialized bear of the ice.

The Circle 1.2021 21 POLAR BEAR RESEARCH has long been subject to unplanned interruptions: the nature of these fascinating animals and the environments they live in mean unpredictability is par for the course. I once waited more than three weeks in a remote field camp for the fog to lift before I could start my work. A colleague once spent a month with a helicopter on standby waiting for good weather, and finally had to give up without even seeing a bear. Conserva- tion takes a three-generation-length perspective—and for polar bears, that means 33 to 45 years. Arctic ecosystems are also incredibly dynamic, and snap- shots in time can be misleading. As a result of all these factors, studying polar bears requires patience—and drawing conclusions about them requires long- Alberta, Canada University of A.E. Derocher, term data. The snow shows traces of a successful ringed seal kill made by a polar bear along My research team recently investi- a refrozen lead (crack in the ice). Such leads are prime polar bear hunting habitat gated the population energy dynamics because ringed seals maintain breathing holes in the young, thin ice. of polar bears in western Hudson Bay. Energy dynamics examines the total level of an ecosystem is affected by the sites travelling to the Arctic as southern amount of energy stored in each bear in level below. For example, the number species move north. We also know the a population and its variation over time. of wolves that an area can support may bears are exposed to high levels of pol- Studying these changes allows us to be determined by the number of deer, lution, which weakens their immune understand the links the bears have to moose and elk—and in turn, the number system. Given that levels of pollutants their prey and how changing ice condi- of herbivores in the area will be affected circulating in polar bears’ blood increas- tions are affecting the population. by the available vegetation. es as their condition declines—and Our project built on the results of In our study, we found that the energy that sea-ice loss also leads to skinnier long-term research by Environment and held by the western Hudson polar bear bears—it’s easy to see the potential for Climate Change Canada and the Univer- population declined by more than 50 new concerns. sity of Alberta. Monitoring the number per cent between 1985 and 2018. That’s of bears in a population is common, but a major change—and obviously, if there MERGING LOCAL KNOWLEDGE we applied a new spin: we estimated the is less energy in the bears, it means AND LONG-TERM RESEARCH energy in each bear of a given sex, age they’re either taking less energy from AND COMBATING and reproductive group in a population. the seal populations (their main food MISINFORMATION Then we merged these data to estimate source) or they’re using more energy. Research provides a constant flow of the energy in the overall population. That’s the next question that needs insights, but we need to temper them answering. against what has been seen in the past. TAKING AN ECOSYSTEM Arriving at such insights requires us APPROACH to take a long-term perspective, archive At this point, you might be wondering: data, standardize methods and follow Polar bears may eat a variety Why study polar bear energy? an incremental approach. Each research Gathering information about step takes us closer to understanding of species as the sea ice population abundance is useful for the natural and unnatural history of the understanding harvest rates and popu- bears. disappears, but they can only lation status, but it provides limited From a conservation perspective, insights into the mechanics of a change we’re most concerned about the com- survive as long as they have over time. Increasingly, conservation plex effects of the climate crisis, which an abundance of energy from biologists are interested in a broader are increasingly complicated because of ecosystem approach. The energy at one the possibility of new diseases and para- seals as their primary prey.

22 The Circle 1.2021 Traditional ecological knowledge from ber makes it possible for polar bears to northern people offers valuable context, We found that the energy survive. and historic understandings can give us held by the western Hudson Polar bears may eat a variety of spe- clues about modern observations. cies as the sea ice disappears, but they But increasingly, observations made polar bear population declined can only survive as long as they have an in the Arctic are communicated to the abundance of energy from seals as their world without appropriate context. For by more than 50 per cent primary prey. And we do know one thing example, we know that polar bears can for certain: polar eat more than 80 different species— between 1985 and 2018. bears used to ANDREW from mushrooms to puffins to porcu- That’s a major change. live as far south DEROCHER is pines. However, does such a varied diet as Sweden, but a biological bode well for the future of polar bears in they disappeared sciences pro- a warming Arctic? from there as fessor at the It would be nice to think so, but we Reports of polar bears eating a variety the ice melted. University of Alberta in need a long-term perspective to be of foods are interesting, but they don’t There are clear Edmonton, Canada. He certain. Polar bears evolved from a griz- provide meaningful insights into the links between has been studying polar zly bear (brown bear) ancestor. While bears’ likely future. Polar bears evolved fossil fuel use bears for 38 years. it’s hard to be certain about exactly to exploit an abundant food resource and sea-ice loss, when the two species diverged—because that was once spread widely across the which means reducing greenhouse gas of hybridization events in the distant Arctic sea ice: ringed seals and bearded emissions is a critical part of polar bear past—it’s clear that polar bears retained seals. The seals’ blubber layer allows conservation. We have an opportunity to the ability to eat almost anything in them to survive in the cold waters of the act—and the sooner we do, the better the their environment that provides energy. Arctic—and that same energy-rich blub- odds for polar bears. l

An adult bearded seal rests near a flaw lead north of Cape Churchill, Manitoba. These seals can weigh more than 400 kg and are a common prey item for polar bears. A.E. Derocher, University of Alberta, Canada University of A.E. Derocher,

The Circle 1.2021 23 Sustainable polar bear management Combining scientific and Indigenous knowledge to conserve polar bears Polar bears became the poster children for climate warming because it’s easy to understand their dependence on sea ice as a platform from which to hunt their main food source: seals. But doing in-depth research on the subject in Canada is complicated. IAN STIRLING explains why he thinks that to protect the bears as their situation grows more precarious, we need to go back to the formula that led to early success: cooperation between researchers and Indigenous hunters.

I’VE SPENT THE PAST 50 YEARS researching dictions. collars provided essential information polar bears to help guide management Because of concerns about the on the year-round movements of many decisions and environmental assess- possible overhunting of polar bears, individual bears, greatly improving the ments in Canada. From the beginning of temporary quotas were established accuracy of our knowledge of prelimi- my research on polar bears in western in 1968 in the Northwest Territories nary borders, which had been based Hudson Bay and the Beaufort Sea in and Yukon to control the harvest until mainly on the locations where previ- 1970—and later in other parts of the revisions could be made using research ously captured bears were recaptured Canadian Arctic—a top priority was to results. Hunting polar bears is of pri- or shot by hunters. Not everyone liked determine the boundaries of possible mary cultural and economic importance the idea of the animals being handled, subpopulations, then estimate their sizes to Inuit hunters, so estimating sustain- but it was widely accepted that the in order to calculate sustainable harvest able harvest levels was a priority for results of the tagging and radio-tracking levels for Inuit hunters. But where do you both hunters and scientists. To obtain studies—when evaluated alongside local start from a position of little first-hand that information, we needed to tempo- ecological knowledge—were needed to knowledge on such a huge, expensive and rarily immobilize many bears in each meet our objectives together. (Neverthe- important task? area and tag individuals, not just for less, because Inuit hunters and scien- The answer was obvious: from the population studies but to collect essen- tists alike had concerns about whether beginning, each of these projects ben- tial specimens—for example, a small, handling the bears might have unknown efited enormously from invaluable local non-functional, pre-molar tooth from negative side effects, several studies ecological knowledge that experienced which the age of each animal could be were undertaken to evaluate that ques- hunters shared willingly. Their knowl- determined and used to calculate rates tion. To date, nothing negative related edge of denning locations, the bears’ of annual survival and reproduction. to the bears’ survival, body condition or prime seal hunting areas and aspects of Later, the widespread use of satellite reproduction has been identified.) seasonal movements and distribution was thorough and totally reliable. How- ever, on other topics, neither Inuit nor From the beginning, each of these projects benefited scientists had the answers, so studies were needed. For example, questions enormously from invaluable local ecological knowledge about offshore movements could only be addressed using satellite radio collars. that experienced hunters shared willingly. Their When the first results became available, hunters were fascinated. Often, knowledge of denning locations, the bears’ prime seal they were surprised to realize that they hunting areas and aspects of seasonal movements shared a subpopulation of polar bears with hunters from other areas or juris- and distribution was thorough and totally reliable.

24 The Circle 1.2021 us that there are more bears in towns To protect polar bears, because as temperatures rise and the we need cooperation open-water period lengthens, many are between researchers and running out of the fat stores they need Indigenous hunters. to survive through the summer. Thus, some bears enter towns because they are looking for food. The results of more than 30 years of careful research, including some done by the Nunavut government, confirm that the population is indeed declining. These differing views on the numbers of polar bears have made polar bear management more contentious. Consequently, managers have to make difficult decisions because of a rapidly changing environment. Photo: Staffan Widstrand Photo: Staffan LOOKING BACK TO MOVE BRINGING THE ENVIRONMENT tions between years as a consequence FORWARD INTO THE PICTURE of natural variability. However, by the Looking back, I was privileged to be We also needed to increase our knowl- mid-1990s, we were detecting negative part of what was probably the most edge of how natural fluctuations in the effects on the population that resulted exciting time to be involved in polar polar bears’ environment might affect from the loss of sea ice because of cli- bear research in Canada. The challenges them, not only for harvest management mate warming. Slowly but steadily, the were new, and interested parties worked but to inform environmental assessments bears’ body conditions and their cubs’ together nationally and internationally of large offshore industrial activities. For survival rates declined, as did the size of to conserve and manage the bears sus- example, in the Beaufort Sea, we found the population. tainably. Experienced hunters shared that between 1974 and 1975, reproduc- Since then, similar results have been valuable information and worked with tion of ringed seals plummeted by about confirmed in other populations. Not scientists. We 50 per cent because of natural causes. all populations are showing negative learned from IAN STIRLING is The proportion of young-of-the-year effects yet, but if the Arctic continues to each other. a research sci- seals harvested by Inuvialuit hunters warm as predicted, all will be negatively Canada was entist emeritus dropped from the normal rate of about affected eventually. To prevent this, widely regarded in the Wildlife 30 per cent in the open-water hunt in we need to stop anthropogenic climate as a world Research Divi- 1974 to less than five per cent in 1975 warming. Without access to 20 years of leader. But we sion of Environment and before beginning to recover in 1976. Not data collected the same way every year, didn’t get there Climate Change Canada surprisingly, the reproduction and cub we would not have been able to confirm by accident. and an adjunct professor survival of polar bears plummeted as what is happening. This fact underlines More at the University of Alberta well. Significantly, a highly knowledge- the critical value of long-term studies on recently, in Edmonton, Canada. able Inuvialuit hunter told me at the time polar bears and the effects of environ- concerns have that he had seen this before, noting that mental change in the ecosystem. been expressed “it happens once in a great while.” It was Unfortunately, in areas where popula- about whether data-based management clear that we needed to know more about tion declines have been confirmed, is still working. To me, the answer such events and how they might influence reductions in harvest quotas have is simple: we need to simply go back management considerations. been implemented or recommended— to working together, and we need to In response, we began a long-term because it is simply not possible to have use the most effective non-harmful population study in the early 1980s in a sustainable harvest from a declining methodologies available, including western Hudson Bay to monitor the population. Such conclusions have the temporary immobilization of polar polar bear population in relation to precipitated conflicts in places like the bears for tagging, collection of speci- natural environmental fluctuations. At western Hudson Bay coast: local people mens and deploying satellite collars to the time, we were not even thinking have seen more bears in recent years study movements. That is what worked about climate warming. At first, as and conclude that their numbers are earlier, and it can still work moving expected, our results indicated fluctua- increasing. However, the science tells forward. l

The Circle 1.2021 25 An uneasy balance Patrolling for polar bears in Whale Cove, Nunavut In fall 2019, WWF responded to a request from the Issatik Hunters and Trappers Organization to fund a locally run polar bear patrol program in Whale Cove, Nunavut, on the western shore of Canada’s Hudson Bay. For two months every summer and fall, two patrollers work in shifts to look for bears that come too close to the community. The goal is to deter the polar bears from entering the community and avoid having to destroy those that may pose a threat to residents. JAMES ENUAPIK joined the program in 2020. Originally from Coral Harbour on Nunavut’s Southampton Island, he moved to Whale Cove more than 35 years ago, when the ham- let of 455 was just a quarter of its current size. He spoke to The Circle about his experience with the program—and the changes he’s seen in the region’s polar bear population.

when I was a bit younger, when the What are some memorable season opened up, all the hunters would encounters you had as a patroller? the bear instinctively. But knowing that come back with 10, 12 or 13 footers. I live right on the shoreline, basically in I was the polar bear patrol guy, I had Now, the polar bears that are caught the neighbourhood where we ferment to tell the community members not to during the season are only six to nine our whale blubber. One day there were shoot it and that I would try and deter feet. I’m pretty sure it’s got to do with kids playing around that area and they it with my own firearm, which I did. the global warming, right? Because the didn’t know there was a polar bear Luckily, the polar bear swam away from foods they eat throughout the season are there. I was lucky enough to have an us, from the community. Nobody was on the sea ice and the sea ice is redis- Elder come by who lives around that harmed, and neither was the bear. tributing much faster now than before. area. He came to my house to tell me The polar bear’s main food is the seal. that there was a polar bear. Out of my What changes have you seen in But the seal is always on the sea ice, and window, I could see little kids playing polar bears over your lifetime? with the sea ice receding, the polar bears on the hill, and the bear was invisible to Over the years, I’ve absolutely seen the tend to go into hibernation or go inland,

Photo: Brandon Laforest/WWF-Canada them. That jolted me. I almost shot at changes to the polar bears’ sizes. Back where they eat much less protein.

26 The Circle 1.2021 Whale Cove polar bear patrol hotline poster. An uneasy balance Patrolling for polar bears in Whale Cove, Nunavut

Photo: Brandon Laforest/WWF-Canada

James Enuapik I'm 100 per cent sure that those polar bears are going hungry and they're having to go into communities to try and feed themselves, which endangers both the community and bears.

Children walk along the road in Whale Cove. How have interactions between that smells. I’m 100 per polar bears and the community cent sure that those polar sure that’s going changed over the years? bears are going hungry to adversely affect Back in the day, polar bears were abso- and they’re having to their ability to lutely scared to come into contact with go into communities to hunt. We’re prob- human beings. When a polar bear came try and feed themselves, ably going to see into the community, the Elders would which endangers both a decline in say it was because he wanted to be eaten. the community and bears. numbers overall in the Arctic Circle Nowadays, our customs have changed. due to the ice receding faster and We are now intending not to kill the Given the changes you’re seeing, more human activity. That will mean bear. We are trying to get the polar bear what do you think the future more unwanted shootings as polar away from the community so it cannot holds for polar bears where you bears attack humans, thinking they harm anyone or itself. But we have been live? are food. And we humans have to having more interactions with the polar In the future, I see them declining in defend ourselves with rifles and we bears because they need to eat whatever numbers. I see them declining in size. have to shoot them. And that’s not they can—and landfill has rotting food And due to global warming, I’m pretty right. l

The Circle 1.2021 27 THE PICTURE

Our first polar bear cover

Before it became The Circle, The WWF Arctic Pro- gramme's magazine was called the Arctic Bulletin. The third issue in 1994 was the first time a polar bear appeared on the cover. The question posed by the head- line is one we are still trying to answer, 27 years later.

Why we are here To stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.