Protecting polar bears and people

Over the past 15 years, several Russian Arctic coastal villages have been working together in a conservation movement that allows people and polar bears to safely coexist in the most remote regions of Russia. This initiative, called the Polar Bear Patrol, is supported by WWF-Russia, and recently celebrated 15 years of successful work.

It all started in 2006, on the coast of the Chukchi Sea with a small local project. WWF supported a local initiative in the village of Vankarem. The goal was to help villagers solve the problem of polar bears coming into the village during autumn.

They come into villages during the autumn because of the delay in the appearance of the ice cover, caused by climate change. The lack of ice cover means that polar bears have been forced to spend more time on the shore. This inevitably meant that polar bears were spending more time around people.

The Polar Bear Patrol was set up by volunteers to keep people safe from polar bears, and for the polar bear’s own safety.

About a year after the success of Vankarem’s Polar Bear Patrol, the village of Ryrkaipiy also developed a similar community volunteer group.

Over the years the Polar Bear Patrol project has grown. Now, with the support of WWF-Russia, there are six active groups working in three different regions: Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Yakutia, and Chukotka.

The importance of monitoring polar bears

The importance of the Polar Bear Patrol’s work has grown every year. The sea remains open from ice for longer and longer, and human encounters with polar bears are becoming more frequent and more intense.

For instance, 2021 was a hot year in the village of Amderma in the Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The volunteers set a record in driving more than 15 bears away in August and September.

In December 2019, the village of Ryrkaipiy was surrounded by 50 bears at once.

Many volunteers have been working for more than 10 years and rightfully consider themselves as public officers for nature conservation. They not only provide safety in the villages, but also teach fellow villagers, conduct classes about polar bear safety in classrooms in schools, and organize clean-ups. They also monitor polar bears and collecting scientific information, sharing that data with scientists.

“All our patrollers are special people, loving nature, worried about the business and the fate of their native villages. They do not receive a salary. They work as volunteers. At all times of day, in any weather, it does not matter – they are ready to promptly respond to the signal and leave to drive the polar bear away. Sometimes they receive five calls from their fellow villagers during one night,” says Varvara Semyonova, coordinator of the WWF-Russia Polar Bear Patrol project.

We try to support the patrollers as much as possible, provide them with equipment, fuel, repellers and gear. And during the “bear” season, we are in touch around the clock to help advise and provide coordination.

15 years of respect

For 15 years, the Polar Bear Patrol project has become recognizable and respected: scientists, regional authorities, relevant ministries and departments, and those who, working in the Arctic, are forced to encounter a polar bear – tour operators, mining companies, employees of meteorological stations – turn to its experience and advise.

“In just 15 years, the Polar Bear Patrol project has become a serious and very important area of WWF work. It unites many like-minded people throughout the Arctic, people who are not indifferent but are sincerely committed to nature,” says Dmitry Gorshkov, WWF-Russia Chief executive.

“We see that the role of their work is only growing: due to climate change, due to the growth of anthropogenic pressure in the Arctic, more and more human – polar bear encounters occur. The main success of the project is that thanks to the work of the patrolmen, over 15 years it was possible to prevent hundreds of conflicts that could end badly for both people and the Arctic predator. ”

Ultimately, the Polar Bear Patrol is about safety – for humans and the bears. And the Polar Bear Patrol is a system that has proven to work over the past 15 years.