© Stanislav / Adobe Stock
people and polar bears
The impact of climate change on polar bears has had ripple effects. It impacts how people living in the Arctic have been interacting with polar bears – subsistence hunting, food security and traditional Indigenous culture have all been affected. Polar bear-human encounters have increased too, which is dangerous for both people and polar bears.
As sea ice diminishes due to climate change, polar bears are spending more time on land, escalating the risk of human-bear interactions in Arctic communities.
This is a major safety concern for both people and bears. As a top predator, polar bears pose significant dangers to human life and interactions can lead to property damage, injuries, and loss of life of both people and bears.
Less sea ice also means that polar bears lose access to seals, polar bears’ most important food source. This causes polar bears to switch to less nutritious food sources found on land.
Certain measures can help mitigate dangerous encounters between people and polar bears, such as managing landfills to remove waste from the vicinity of communities, educating the public on bear safety, and implementing community patrols. However, these measures do not address the root cause of climate change.
Tackling climate change, and the degradation of the Arctic ecosystem, is essential for the coexistence between people and polar bears.
How WWF is working to protect people and polar bears
© Richard Barrett / WWF-UK
Advocating to protect essential polar bear habitat
While there are actions that help keep communities and polar bears safe, climate change is the root cause behind the increase of people and polar bear encounters. WWF is advocating to minimize the impact of the extractive sectors and linear infrastructure and advocate for a just transition to a nature-based economy that focuses on creating green jobs in locally run projects.
WWF works to protect essential polar bear habitats, including denning areas, from the evolving impacts of climate change and harmful industrial activities, such as oil and gas exploration. This includes safeguarding areas on land likely to become important in the future, and climate refuges where summer sea ice will last the longest, such as the Last Ice Area.
© James Morgan / WWF
Supporting communities to reduce human-polar bear conflict
WWF is working towards coexistence between people and polar bears through local initiatives in Greenland, Canada and the US.
WWF is also working to safeguard polar bear habitat through protecting 30 per cent of the Arctic Ocean by 2030. ArcNet presents a framework for establishing a networks of Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs), including Indigenous-led initiatives, and engaging in effective area-based conservation measures.
© Jon Aars / Norwegian Polar Institute
Supporting polar bear research
WWF is a longtime partner with research institutes that track polar bears. Scientists are using this data to better understand which types of bears are prone to conflict.
Examining a bear’s age, sex, distribution and habitat factors helps assess the probability of an individual bear’s risk of conflict with humans. This work informs planning, helps minimize human-polar bear conflict and improves community safety.
