January 2011: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) published the proceedings of a meeting of its Polar Bear Specialist Group’s 15th working meeting, which was held from 29 June-3 July 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the proceedings, the Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) provided an overview of the ongoing research and management activities on polar bears in the circumpolar Arctic, including recent concerns of threats arising as a consequence of increased human activities in both the Arctic and in other regions, as well as a more comprehensive assessment of all threats to the status of each polar bear subpopulation.

The PBSG reviewed overall progress in research and management of polar bears since the previous meeting and identified priorities for future studies. The Group confirmed the conclusion from previous meetings that the greatest challenge to conservation of polar bears is ecological change in the Arctic resulting from climatic warming.

The PBSG noted that declines in the extent of the sea ice have accelerated since the last meeting in 2005, with unprecedented sea ice retreats in 2007 and 2008. It also emphasized that warming-induced habitat degradation and loss already negatively affect polar bears in some parts of their range, and unabated global warming will ultimately threaten polar bears everywhere.

The Specialist Group also noted that subpopulations of polar bears face different combinations of human-induced threats, which will make conservation and management of polar bears even more challenging in the future. [Publication: Polar Bear Specialist Group Proceedings]