World Wildlife Fund

A polar bear at sea near the coast of Chukotka, where WWF's Bering Sea ecoregion program works to protect bears and their habitat alongside local partners.
© Fyedor Tymnetagin

Of all of the wildlife species in the Bering Sea, the polar bear is perhaps the most fitting icon for this ecoregion. Its amazing adaptations to life in the harsh Arctic environment and dependence on sea ice are factors which make it so impressive, and yet so vulnerable. Around the Arctic, WWF supports research and conservation projects targeted at protecting polar bears, and in the Bering Sea ecoregion, WWF's efforts are focused on the Alaska-Chukotka polar bear population. WWF's strategy is to mitigate those factors which disturb and threaten the polar bear in its key habitats, while working at the international level to change policies that contribute to carbon emissions in the atmosphere. WWF staff works on a number of levels to help reduce stress on the polar bear.

Walrus haul out on Vankarem Cape in October 2006, where WWF is working with community to establish a protected area.
© Viktor Nikiforov

In 2006, WWF has continued to advocate that the United States Congress pass legislation for a U.S.-Russia treaty on joint polar bear conservation and management. The treaty was signed by both nations in 2000, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 2003, has approval from the Russian Duma, but could not move forward without support from the U.S. In December, 2006, Congress passed legislation for the treaty as an amendment to the Marine Mammal Protection Act. WWF is making plans to support communities' and scientists' participation in implementing the treaty on the ground.

Throughout the Arctic, WWF works with the world's leading polar bear scientists to:

• Support research that will tell us about the bears' condition, distribution, and population status and trends.
• Compile information on how sea ice loss will affect polar bears, and share information with policy makers .
• Advocate for protection of Arctic sea ice and coastal habitat in areas such as Norway's Svalbard Archipelago, the Chukchi Sea (shared between the US and Russia) and areas along the Canadian coast.
• Provide funding and technical support for protected areas important for polar bears, such as the Wrangel Island Strict Nature Reserve in Russia, known as the "polar bear nursery" for its high concentration of maternity dens.
• Identify areas that are threatened by Arctic shipping and oil and gas, and take action to prevent these threats.

To date, in the United States, WWF has focused its efforts largely on the Alaska Chukotka Polar Bear population, a population of bears shared between the US and Russia. Working with Russia's cooperation, WWF helps facilitate the sharing of experience and knowledge between Alaskan and Russian scientists, working with partners such as Alaska Nannuq (Native Polar Bear) Commission and Russian counterparts, as well as scientists and management agencies. WWF also monitors illegal hunting of polar bears in Russia, working with local, regional and federal authorities to identify violators and assess appropriate fines. Additionally, WWF supports research to identify and protect important coastal foraging and denning habitats.

Charlie Johnson, of the Alaska Native Polar Bear Commission, and WWF's Margaret Williams, on an expedition to the Chukotka Peninsula coast in March 2006
© V. Kavriy

WWF staff in action
In March 2006, WWF staff traveled to Chukotka, Russia, where staff visited several communities to learn more about the status of the bear population, provided information on the US-Russia treaty, and advised communities on bear management issues, a growing concern for Chukotka residents. As changing ice conditions cause bears to spend more time on land, the chances for human-bear interactions increase significantly. A tragic indication of the problem took place in 2006: a young girl was killed by a bear in the village of Reirkaipi, on the Chukotka coast.

The WWF-led expedition team included Margaret Williams, WWF Bering Sea ecoregion leader; biologist Andrei Boltunov of the Russian Institute of Nature Conservation, and Charlie Johnson, Chairman of the Alaska Native Polar Bear Commission. As a subsistence hunter, respected Alaskan Native leader, an experienced diplomat, and a conservationist, Charlie Johnson provided extensive advice based on successful examples in Alaska whereby Native Alaskans living in polar bear country have reduced human-bear conflicts, participated in harvest monitoring, and managed other human impacts on this species.

Local involvement

In 2005, WWF supported a project through which a local leader and a scientist gathered information on how climate change affects coastal and marine environment, lifestyles, and traditions. The information is being used at national levels to show policy makers the urgency of reforming energy policy.

Polar brigade members from Vankarem village: (L to R) Vladilen Kavriy and Sergey Kavriy, co-leaders of WWF project with biologist Andrei Boltunov in October 2006.
© Viktor Nikiforov

In 2006 WWF worked with community partners to initiate the creation of polar bear "brigades" through a pilot project in Vankarem, a small village on the Chukchi Sea coast in Russia. With ideas and lessons learned from Alaska 

Members of the WWF polar bear brigades.
© Viktor Nikiforov

native communities, the residents of Vankarem are using their Alaskan neighbor's experience with similar polar bear "brigades." WWF is now providing technical and training support to the brigades, teams of people whose main task is to frighten bears from the village if they approach. WWF and our local project leaders have plans to expand the project to other villages in the coming year. WWF believes this effort is an important approach to help conserve bears and protect human life.

Biologist Andrei Boltunov works with walrus on Vankarem Cape to help with a WWF project to establish a protected area.
© Viktor Nikiforov

WWF also supports the creation of locally managed protected areas to protect walrus haul outs and bear habitats. Vankarem residents enthusiastically support the goal to create a protected area and with WWF, are currently preparing a proposal to the Chukotka government.

Currently Russian biologist Dr. Anatoly Kochnev is conducting a coastal habitat survey to identify key polar bear foraging, denning and concentration areas along part of the Chukotka coast. WWF will continue to support local conservation efforts, as well as regional research on polar bear habitat.