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Polar Bear
Polar Bear Policy
Polar Bears and Climate Change Policies
WWF launches a concerted push in 2009 for big conservation wins for polar bears, set firmly in the context of the battle against climate change.
- March 17, 2009: The Polar Bear Range State Meeting in Tromso, Norway
Listing the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Climate change is destroying vital polar bear habitat, putting the species at risk of extinction, the U.S. government said as it listed the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world’s largest conservation organization, said the government’s decision clearly indicates that climate change impacts are already threatening the survivability of animals and habitats, and illustrates the urgency of preparing for and adapting to a rapidly changing climate. Read More.
- December 11, 2008: Bush Administration announces two substantial rule changes to the Endangered Species Act, undermining effectiveness for protection. The rules expedite oil and gas exploration in the habitat of the polar bear, and eliminates a key environmental review process that ensures federal development projects do not cause additional harm to species that are at risk of extinction.
- October 14, 2008: WWF Comments to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service on amendments to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
- July 14, 2008: WWF Comments to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Polar Bear 4(d) Ruling of the Endangered Species Act
- May 14, 2008: Remarks By Secretary Kempthorne
- May 14, 2008: Department of Interior's final rule
- February 4, 2008: Letter from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer requesting immediate listing of the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act
- January 30, 2008: Polar Bears Need Urgent Protection, Conservation Groups Testify
- January 30, 2008: "Examining Threats and Protections for the Polar Bear," by Margaret Williams
- January 19, 2008: WWF continues to push for a decision to protect polar bears under the Endangered Species Act
- January 7, 2008: WWF Disappointed by U.S. Delay in Listing Polar Bears
- October 22, 2007: Letter to Rosa Meehan, Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the recently published U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports which present a comprehensive analysis of the world's polar bear population status and threats.
- September 11, 2007: Time Running Out for Polar Bears
- April 10, 2006: Letter to Scott Schliebe, Polar Bear Project Leader, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the recent determination by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that formal listing and protection of the polar bear under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) may be warranted.
Bristol Bay
Asigyukpak spit with Commercial Herring fishing boats in Hagemeister Strait, Bristol Bay, Bering sea. Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.
© Scott Dickerson/WWF-US
Bristol Bay is one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, home to the largest wild sockeye salmon runs in the world; important nursery grounds for red king crab and Pacific halibut; staging areas and wintering grounds for tens of millions of seabirds; and a feeding ground and migration corridor for marine mammals, including five endangered species. Inadequate analysis of climate change and cumulative impacts associated with oil and gas development two key species, the polar bear and walrus are examples of wildlife whose habitat will be adversely affected by the combination of oil and gas development in a region aleady impacted by climate change.
Read More and TAKE ACTION NOW!
- June 21, 2008: Letter to U.S. Senate urging continuation of ban on offshore drilling
- May 1, 2008: North Aleutian Basin, Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 214, Call for Information and Nominations and Notice of Intent to prepare Environmental Impact Statement
- April 25, 2007: Letter to Representative Inslee on Bristol Bay Protection Act (HR 1957)
- November 22, 2006: Letter to the Minerals Management Service Opposing Proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program
Chuckchi Sea Lease Deal
In May 2008, we joined with a coalition of Alaska Native and conservation groups who filed suit in federal district court in Alaska on January 31, arguing that in making its decision to hold the lease sale, Minerals Management Service (MMS) – an agency within the DOI – did not adequately weigh the impacts oil and gas activities would have on wildlife like polar bears, or on native villages along Alaska’s North Slope. Read More.
- August 21, 2008: Multiple Polar Bears Discovered Swimming Many Miles From Alaska Coast
- February 6, 2008: Native and Conservation Groups Voice Opposition to Lease Sale 193 in the Chukchi Sea
- January 3, 2008: Conservation Organizations Decry Controversial Chukchi Lease Sale, Raising Concerns About Survival of Polar Bears
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