Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Polar Bears International

A great place to explore and to obtain more information about polar bears is definitely a site called Polar Bears International.  This site is completely devoted to polar bears!  http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/  See their vision and mission statements below.

Vision
To be recognized globally as the preeminent resource for polar bear information and education, and to have a measurable impact on the stewardship of polar bear populations and preservation of polar bear habitat by 2015.

Mission
Polar Bears International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear and its habitat through research, stewardship, and education. We provide scientific resources and information on polar bears and their habitat to institutions and the general public worldwide.





I am very impressed with the layout of the website, as well.  Polar bear FAQs and what they are calling Bear Essentials are two sections which clearly layout some good information that every polar bear conservationist should read over.


I found the following question and answer quite informative and concise.

Are polar bears endangered?

Experts in polar bear science believe they are. They predict that as the Arctic continues to warm due to climate change, two-thirds of the world's polar bears could disappear by mid-century—although hope remains if action is taken to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Rapid loss of sea ice is their major threat. Others include pollution, poaching, and industrial impact. Hunting will become a threat if not well regulated.

In 2005, the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) classified polar bears as vulnerable on the IUCN World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Species noting that extinction could occur due to sea ice changes.

In May 2008, U.S. Department of the Interior listed the polar bear as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act. Canada and Russia list the polar bear as a species of concern.

At the 2009 meeting of the PBSG, the world's leading polar bear scientists reported that of the 19 subpopulations of polar bears, eight were declining, three were stable, and one was increasing. They lacked sufficient data about the remaining seven.



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