Polar Bear Range States Meeting of the Parties
January 20-23, 2026 (Virtual)
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Annotaded agenda (click on the blue ribbon for viewing the annotations for each session)
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
1. WELCOME TO THE MEETING, practical information
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
Open session Type: Procedural
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Speaker(s) | Documents |
| 15:00 | 15 min | 1 | WELCOME TO THE MEETING, practical information | Session lead: Amalie A. Jessen |
The meeting will be opened by the PBRS Chair Amalie A. Jessen, at 3 p.m. (UTC) Tuesday December 2, 2025. Practical information will be given.
2. OPENING STATEMENTS FROM HEADS OF DELEGATION
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
Open session Type: Procedural
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Speaker(s) | Documents |
| 15:15 | 25 min | 2 | OPENING STATEMENTS FROM HEADS OF DELEGATION | Session lead: Amalie A. Jessen | |
| 5 min | 2.1 | Greenland | Amalie A. Jessen | ||
| 5 min | 2.2 | Canada | Caroline Ladanowski | ||
| 5 min | 2.3 | Norway | Aina Holst | ||
| 5 min | 2.4 | Russian Federation | Abidat Magomedova | ||
| 5 min | 2.5 | United States | Alice Garret |
Session lead: Amalie A. Jessen, Head of Wildlife Division at the Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agricultural and Self-sufficiency, Greenland PBRS Head of Delegation, PBRS Chair
Rapporteurs: Paninguak' Bendtsen, Greenland Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agricultural and Self-sufficiency, and Droplaug Ólafsdóttir, PBA Project Officer
Opening statements will be made by the Heads of Delegation of the five Parties. Order of statements: Greenland, Canada, Norway, Russian Federation, United States.
3. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
Open session Type: Procedural Decisions requested
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 15:40 | 35 min | 3 | ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS AND STATEMENTS BY OBSERVERS |
Session lead: Amalie A. Jessen, Head of Wildlife Division at the Ministry of Fisheries , Hunting, Agricultural and Self-sufficiency, Greenland PBRS Head of Delegation, PBRS Chair
Rapporteurs: Paninguak' Bendtsen, Greenland Ministry of Fisheries , Hunting, Agricultural and Self-sufficiency, and Droplaug Ólafsdóttir, PBA Project Officer
3.1 Election of Chair
3.1 Election of Chair
Amalie A. Jessen, Greenland Head of Delegation and PBRS Chair, is prepared to chair the meeting. Greenland will ask for concurrence from the Parties.
3.2 Election of Rapporteurs
3.2 Election of Rapporteurs
The Chair will propose a drafting group consisting of representatives from each Party. The role of the drafting group will be to draft the meeting report/outcome document and press realease of the meeting, with support from session leads and rapporteurs. A draft report covering the discussion of the first three meeting days will be completed on day 3, to be presented and approved by the Parties on day 4. A total draft report and press release will be finalised on day 4.
3.3 Adoption of Agenda
3.3 Adoption of the agenda
The Chair will briefly review the draft agenda and invite any suggestions for modifications, noting that there may be modifications over the course of the meeting.
3.4 General rules of procedure for the meeting
3.4 General rules of procedure for the meeting
The Chair will briefly review the purpose of the meeting as primarily for the exchange of information and collaboration among the Parties represented, the rules of participation in Open and Closed sessions, the opportunity for questions after presentations and observers' statements.
3.5 Admission of observer
3.5 Admission of observers
The Chair will briefly review the approved list of observers.
3.6 Statements by observers
3.6 Statements by observers (5 minutes each)
Observers will have the opportunity to make statements. There is a limitation of one statement per organization/entity and of 5 minutes length per statement. Written versions of statements should be submitted to the Meeting Secretariat before the end of the meeting in order to have it included in the records of the Meeting.
BREAK at 4:15 - 4:30 pm (UTC)
4. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS ON POLAR BEAR CONSERVATION STATUS AND RESEARCH EFFORTS
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
Open session Type: Information sharing Questions & answers
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 16:30 | 45 min | 4 | SCIENTIFIC REPORTS ON POLAR BEAR CONSERVATION STATUS AND RESEARCH EFFORTS | link |
Session lead: Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Rapporteur: TBD
4.1. IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group updates
4.1. IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group Scientific Report on Polar Bear Conservation Status and Research Efforts - (45 minutes)
Speaker: Nick Lunn, retired research scientist at Research Division, Science & Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Co-chair of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG)
The IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) will provide a summary of its activities since the 2023 Polar Bear Range States Meeting of the Parties including updates on 1) the 20th Working Meeting of the PBSG, June 2024, Seattle, Washington; 2) assessment of subpopulation status including new information for East Greenland, Southeast Greenland, and Viscount Melville Sound; 3) sea ice trends in subpopulation regions; 4) scientific advice and reporting; 5) review paper focused on the history of subpopulation delineation, the types of data that have been used, and, future challenges under a warming climate; and 6) end of the 2022-2025 IUCN Quadrennial.
BREAK at 5:15 - 5:35 pm (UTC) - Video & Discussion: Nanuk Narratives: Inuit Voices on Polar Bears
Video & discussion: Nanuk Narratives: Inuit Voices on Polar Bears
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026 - Break at 5:15 - 5:35 pm (UTC)
Nanuk Narratives: Inuit Voices on Polar Bears - Video presentation and discussion during meeting break
Presenter: David Borish, Director/Producer, Cloudberry Connections
A video of 10 minutes will be presented during the break, followed by short discussion.
"Nanuk Narratives" is a docuseries of short videos that delves into the deep and enduring relationship among Inuit and polar bears (nanuk) in and around the Davis Strait. The series highlights an array of lived experiences with polar bears, including long-time polar bear hunters, Elders, cooks, and youth across Nunavut, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Greenland. These videos explore a diversity of topics, including Inuit observations of bear abundance and health, human-bear encounters and safety, tracking and hunting bears, cooking and eating bears, the cultural and emotional connections to bears, and Inuit recommendations for polar bear management. By working with Inuit curriculum experts, we have also developed an short online course dedicated to transferring Inuit knowledge of polar bears for various audiences, including government workers. As a wildlife co-management-led film production, this initiative represents a unique collaboration among the Torngat Wildlife & Plants Co-Management Board, the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, as well as the Anguvigaq in Nunavik, and the Pangnirtung Hunter’s and Trappers Association.
5. INDIGENOUS AND TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (ITEK)
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
Open session Type: Information sharing Questions & answers
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 17:35 | 45 min | 5 | INDIGENOUS AND TRADITIONAL ECOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE (ITEK) |
Session lead and Rapperterur: Dominique Henri, Research Scientists, Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada
5.1. Working Together: Advancing Indigenous Knowledge in Polar Bear Conservation, a presentation by the Polar Bear Technical Committee Indigenous Knowledge Working Group
5.1. Working Together: Advancing Indigenous Knowledge in Polar Bear Conservation, a presentation by the Polar Bear Technical Committee Indigenous Knowledge Working Group - (45 minutes)
Speakers: Jason Dicker, Wildlife Manager, Nunatsiavut Government, co-chair Canadian Polar Bear Technical Committee,
Alison Thompson, Program Manager, Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope) and Jennifer Smith, Chairperson Wildlife Management Advisory Council (North Slope)
The Polar Bear Technical Committee (PBTC) provides technical advice and recommendations on the status of Canada’s polar bear subpopulations. The PBTC’s Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Working Group was formed in 2019 to make recommendations to the PBTC on improving how the PBTC includes, recognizes, and values both IK and knowledge holders. In this presentation, representatives from the PBTC IK Working Group will share reflections from the Working Group’s first six years, including: reviewing how PBTC has recognized, valued, and included IK and knowledge holders since its inception; researching how other species assessment bodies do this work and considering how these policies may be applied within the PBTC; and developing and implementing recommendations. The PBTC IK working group’s activities to date serve as a starting point for discussions on better recognizing and valuing IK, while building on the PBTC’s prior successes. This presentation is authored by the PBTC Indigenous Knowledge Working Group and as such the ideas and recommendations presented do not necessarily reflect the opinion of all PBTC members.
6. COUNTRY MANAGEMENT AND HARVEST REPORTS
Meeting day 1 - January 20, 2026
Open session Type: Information sharing Questions & answers
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 18:20 | 150 min (60+90) | 6 | COUNTRY MANAGEMENT AND HARVEST REPORTS |
Session lead: Ruth Milkereit, Head, Polar Bear Management Unit, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Rapporteurs: Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada/ Caroline Ladanowski, Director, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
The five Parties will give updates on recent efforts and new developments nationally since 2023 related to the conservation of polar bears and their habitats, including review of implementation of the Polar Bear Agreement.
After each country's set of presentations there will be room for up to five minutes of questions, if overall timekeeping allows.
6.1. Canada
6.1. Canada: Polar Bear Conservation and Management in Canada: Overview of key activities (2023-2025) - (30 minutes)
Speakers: Caroline Ladanowski, Director, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
This presentation provides an overview of Canada’s polar bear conservation and management framework for 2023–2025. Internationally, polar bears are listed on CITES Appendix II and were assessed by the IUCN as Vulnerable, while nationally, they are assessed as a species of Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Climate change–driven sea-ice loss is identified as the primary threat, with other pressures such as hunting, pollution, and tourism considered secondary or negligible.
Central to Canada’s management system is co-management, in which Indigenous rights holders and governments jointly make decisions. Wildlife Management Boards and Advisory Councils created under land claim agreements ensure that Indigenous knowledge, harvesting rights, and conservation science are equally represented. Key forums such as the Polar Bear Administrative Committee and Polar Bear Technical Committee provide coordination across regions and subpopulations. Recent national milestones include an updated standing non-detriment finding report (in 2024) and public consultation of a draft National Polar Bear Management Plan in 2025.
Subpopulation status is tracked through both scientific assessments and Indigenous knowledge, revealing variation across subpopulations, with some increasing, some stable, and others declining or uncertain. Harvest management remains primarily the responsibility of the provinces and territories, with Indigenous-led subsistence and guided hunts providing cultural and economic benefits. International trade is strictly regulated through CITES, with permits issued only when a non-detriment finding confirms sustainability. Enforcement measures such as microchip tagging and genetic tracking provide additional safeguards. Incidents of illegal hunting or trade are rare.
The presentation concludes by emphasizing Canada’s collaborative and inclusive approach, which integrates Indigenous knowledge, science, and government oversight to ensure sustainable polar bear conservation. Strong co-management system, innovative enforcement tools, and the development of a national management plan reflect Canada’s commitment to adaptive, long-term stewardship in the face of climate-driven challenges.
6.2. Norway
6.2. Norway: Updates from Norway on polar bear conservation and managment - (30 minutes)
Speaker: Bjørn Rangbru, Senior Advisor, Nature Management Department, Norwegian Environment Agency
In 2004, there were estimated 2,650 polar bears in the Barents Sea subpopulation (including 700 in the Norwegian territory). A new survey, in 2015 showed 950 bears in the Norwegian part. No decline was detected during this period. No counts have been carried out after 2015. But we expect a future reduction caused by climate change. The polar bear has vulnerable (VU) status on the Norwegian (Svalbard) red list. Until 1973, on average several hundred polar bears were killed per year on Svalbard. Conservation efforts, since 1973, include strict regime on killing polars bears, preserve habitats through protection, international co-operation, and research and monitoring. This had major impact on the number of polar bears killed, as now only a small number of bears are killed each year, mainly under self-defence. Norway has established large nature conservation areas in Svalbard. Currently 69 % of land area and 88 % of territorial waters in Svalbard are protected. There has been a massive increase in tourism activity which is negatively impacting Svalbard nature. To reduce disturbance to polar bears, distance rules have been introduced on the Svalbard archipelago, and one must keep at least 300 meters away from bears. In the period from March 1 to June 30, one must keep at least 500 meters away. If one discovers a bear at close range, one is obliged to retreat. The obligation to retreat does not apply in inhabited areas, when staying at research stations, cabins, tents or similar facilities. The national action plan for polar bears, from 2013, was evaluated in 2024. Norway is not creating a new polar bear action plan. Norway is instead creating a short polar bear strategy.
Meeting day 1 adjourns at 7: 35 pm (UTC)
Meeting day 2 - January 21, 2026
6. COUNTRY MANAGEMENT AND HARVEST REPORTS - continued
Meeting day 2 - January 21, 2026
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 15:00 | 90 min | 6 cont. | COUNTRY MANAGEMENT AND HARVEST REPORTS |
Session lead: Ruth Milkereit, Head, Polar Bear Management Unit, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
Rapporteurs: Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada/ Caroline Ladanowski, Director, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
6.3. Russian Federation
6.3. Russian Federation: Conservation and Management of Polar Bears and their Habitat in Russia - (30 minutes)
Speaker: Olga Krever, Deputy Director FSBI "Information and Analytical Center for Conservation Support"
6.4. United States
6.4. United States: TBD
6.5. Greenland
6.5. Greenland: Polar Bear Managment in Greenland, 2023-2025 - (30 minutes)
Speakers: Panínguak’ Bendtsen and Naja Holm, Greenland Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting, Agricultural and Self-sufficiency
The report is an outline for the framework, legislation, and management practices for polar bear (Ursus Maritimus) Conservation and sustainable use in Greenland for the period of 2023-2025.
The polar bear has a deeply rooted socioeconomic, cultural and ecological importance in Greenland, particularly for communities in the Northwestern and East Greenland. The document details the co-management system between local users, municipalities, and the Government of Greenland, emphasizing the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) with scientific advice in quota setting and policy decisions.
The legal foundation is based on the 2023 Hunting and Game Act. No 34 and the updated Executive order on the Protection and hunting of polar bears og March 2023. Updates include the recognition of a new Southeast Greenland polar bear subpopulation, provisions for limited tourism, revised rules on problem bears and self-defense, and continually strengthened reporting and monitoring systems.
Greenland manages six polar bear subpopulations, wherein three are shared with Canada/Nunavut. Quota-based harvest regulation and comprehensive catch reporting, though both licensing and annual systems through the booklet “Piniarneq”, are the cornerstone of the Greenlandic sustainability management. Additionally, cooperating with the Greenlandic Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) ensures providing biological monitoring, as well as genetic sampling of harvested bears.
Internationally, Greenland engages in co-management through the Canada -Greenland Joint Commission (JCPB), participates in the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group, and upholds obligations under the 1973 Oslo Agreements on conservation of polar bears and CITES. While climate change remains, the major challenge affecting their habitat and the sea-ice conditions, Greenland continues to focus on adaptive management, community engagement and balanced use of scientific as well as local knowledge to ensure long-team conservation of polar bear populations.
BREAK at 4:30 - 4:50 pm (UTC)
7. COUNTRY RESEARCH REPORTS
Meeting day 2 - January 21, 2026
Open session Type: Information sharing Questions & answers
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 16:50 | 150 min (90+60) | 7 | COUNTRY RESEARCH REPORTS |
Session lead: Magnus Andersen, Section leader, Research departement, Norwegian Polar Institute
Rapporteur: Dag Vongraven, Senior adviser, Environmental management and mapping, Norwegian Polar Institute
7.1 Canada: Polar Bear Reserch in Canada
7.1. Canada: Polar Bear Research in Canada - (30 minutes)
Speaker: Evan Richardsson, Research scientist, Wildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Adjunct professor in the Department of Biological Scienceat the University of Manitoba, Member of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) and the Canadian Polar Bear Technical Committee.
The Canadian research presentation will provide an update on recent research conducted on polar bears since the last Range States Meeting of the parties, held virtually by Canada in fall 2023. The presentation reviews recent subpopulation assessment studies and work that has been conducted to understand the mechanisms driving changes in polar bear abundance and distribution. We detail how research on polar bear energetics, health, movement, behaviour, and genetics in Canada are helping inform the conservation and management of polar bears in a changing Arctic. Central to these conservation efforts is work to support knowledge sharing between communities, Indigenous organizations, provincial/territorial governments and the Government of Canada to support knowledge-based decision making for the long-term conservation of the species.
7.2 Norway: Research in Norway: 2023-2025
7.2 Norway: Research in Norway: 2023-2025 - (30 minutes)
Speaker: Jon Aars, Senior scientist at the Norwegian Polar Institute
Work of den habitat and den phenology in Svalbard have been a priority the last 20 years. Polar Bears International and Norwegian Polar Institute had a project where den cameras monitored bear families in the first days or weeks after they broke the dens in spring, and until they left the area. A paper was published on den phenology in 2025.
Work on demography in cooperation with University of Montpellier/CEFE (Fr) led in November 2024 to a PhD. Among the more important results are how age of mother and size of cubs dictates litter production and cub survival.
Studies on exotoxicology maps prevalence of different pollutants inn polar bears over time. Current studies use live polar bear cell cultures where cells are exposed to pollutants, sampling and experiments took part in spring 2025, on board the NPI Research Vessel KPH.
Work on body condition among Svalbard polar bears show that despite loss of sea ice habitat, bear condition is still good, a paper is in revision.
Preliminary results on scooter traffic and polar bear activity show that female adults use the sea ice as much during the periods with highest traffic activity, and it does not seem like bears in more trafficked areas use sea ice less than in other areas, in spring.
Subcutaneous heart and temperature loggers were implanted in nine females that also had GPS-collars in spring 2024. Five of those were collected in spring 2025 and provided data for a year, on two denning females and three that were not denning. Data will be used in studies on energetics.
A project on reindeer-polar bear interactions is ongoing, and has already yielded a afir amount of data, including from Citizen science.
Data on both condition, reproductive data, and fat soluble pollutants are part of a long term monitor series (MOSJ, monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen).
7.3 Russian Federation: Polar Bear Research in Russia in 2023-2025
7.3. Russian Federation: Polar Bear Research in Russia in 2023-2025 - (30 minutes)
Speakers: Sergey Naidenko, Director of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Ilya Mordvintsev, Leading Researcher of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences
BREAK at 6:20 - 6:40 pm (UTC)
7.4 United States
7.4. United States:
7.5 Greenland: Polar Bear Research in Greenland 2023-2025
7.5. Greenland: Polar Bear Research in Greenland 2023-2025 - (30 minutes)
Speaker: Kristin Laidre, Senior Principal Scientist at the Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington and Greenland Institute for Natural Resources
The presentation provides an update on polar bear research conducted in Greenland. In 2023, the Government of Greenland issued an Executive Order stating that polar bears along the east coast of Greenland should be managed as two separate subpopulations: East Greenland (EG) and Southeast Greenland (SE). Scientific work has been focused on assessing these two subpopulations. In EG, a distance-sampling aerial survey was flown that provided the first estimate of abundance for this subpopulation. During March-May 2023, 106.5 hours were flown on-effort over 26 survey days and 84 groups of bears (108 individuals) were sighted. A density surface model accounted for detectability via distance-sampling methods, modeled bear density with a Generalized Additive Model, and corrected for incomplete detection on the transect line using mark-recapture methods. The study was informed by Traditional Ecological Knowledge surveys and three decades of polar bear movement data obtained from satellite telemetry. The best estimate of abundance for the EG subpopulation, adjusted for bears located outside the sampling area, was 2,364 polar bears (CV: 0.27, 95% CI: 1,400-3,991). In 2024, a harvest risk assessment was conducted using a population model to project the EG subpopulation forward in time for 34 years, or approximately three polar bear generations. The assessment considered several scenarios for the demographic effects of sea-ice loss and different options for future scientific monitoring. Sustainability was evaluated based on management objectives and levels of risk tolerance specified by the Greenland Ministry of Fisheries and Hunting. Based on this harvest risk assessment from EG, and the 2017 assessments from Baffin Bay and Kane Basin subpopulations, the CITES Scientific Authority issued the first CITES-NDF documenting that the polar bear harvest was sustainable for all subpopulations in Greenland. In the SE subpopulation, field work for a 3-year genetic mark-recapture study was started in 2025 and will continue through 2027. The first field season resulted in the collection of 67 genetic marks from a combination of remote biopsies and physical captures. In South Greenland, interview surveys of polar bear hunters and sheep farmers were conducted in 2023 and 2024 as part of the first Indigenous knowledge study to understand interactions with polar bears in this part of Greenland. Data are currently being analyzed from 20 sheep farmers and 12 polar bear hunters. Ongoing harvest monitoring, including collection of tissue samples from the subsistence harvest in all subpopulations, is providing important supplemental information on polar bears.
Meeting day 2 adjourns at 7:40 pm (UTC)
Meeting day 3 - January 22, 2026
8. CIRCUMPOLAR ACTION PLAN 2015-2025
Meeting day 3 - January 22, 2026
Open session Type: Information sharing Questions & answers
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Documents |
| 15:00 | 220 min (80+80+60) | 8 | CIRCCUMPOLAR ACTION PLAN 2015-2025 |
Session lead: Caroline Ladanowski, Director, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada,
Rapporteurs: Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Ruth Milkereit, Head, Polar Bear Management Unit, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
8.1 Introduction
8.1 Introduction - (20 minutes)
Speaker: Caroline Ladanowski, Director, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada,
8.2 OBJECTIVE 2 - Communicate to the public, policy makers, and legislators around the world the importance of mitigating GHG emissions to polar bear conservation
8.2 OBJECTIVE 2 - Communicate to the public, policy makers, and legislators around the world the importance of mitigating GHG emissions to polar bear conservation - (20 minutes)
8.3 OBJECTIVE 3 - Ensure the preservation and protection of essential (commonly used) habitat for polar bears
8.3 OBJECTIVE 3 - Ensure the preservation and protection of essential (commonly used) habitat for polar bears - (20 minutes)
Speaker: Ruth Milkereit, Head, Polar Bear Management Unit, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
This presentation reviews CAP Objective 3, which focused on ensuring the conservation of essential habitat for polar bears.
The Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP) identifies climate change and the associated reductions in the extent and composition of sea ice to be the greatest threat to polar bear persistence. Polar bears rely on sea ice habitat as a platform to hunt seals and denning habitat to reproduce. It is likely that climate change will result in a reduction to the quantity, quality, and availability of sea ice and the identification and protection of maternity denning habitats is crucial. A reduction in the quantity and quality of essential (or commonly used) winter, summer, and denning habitat because of climate change is a threat to polar bears.
The presentation reviews how the work completed under CAP Objective resulted in maps identifying essential (or commonly used) winter, summer, and denning polar bear habitat as a first step towards determining and understanding which areas are currently protected, not currently protected and what level(s) or mechanism(s) of protection (e.g. regional, national, international, Indigenous, other) are in place in the areas that are protected.
The presentation highlights the need for continued progress in furthering our understanding the levels of protection associated with global polar bear essential or commonly used habitat.
8.4 OBJECTIVE 4 - Ensure responsible harvest management systems today that will sustain polar bear subpopulations for future generations
8.4 OBJECTIVE 4 - Ensure responsible harvest management systems today that will sustain polar bear subpopulations for future generations - (20 minutes)
Speakers: Ruth Milkereit, Head, Polar Bear Management Unit, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Eric Regehr, Principal Quantitative Ecologist at the University of Washington, Member of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG)
This presentation reviews CAP Objective 4, which focused on ensuring harvest of polar bear subpopulations is managed in a biologically sustainable manner in accordance with sound conservation practices.
The presentation highlights how the PBRS successfully advanced five of six interrelated action items: HM-A1, A2 and A3 which were initially combined into a 2022 white paper defining a quantitative assessment of the population (A1), biologically sustainable harvest in terms of conserving polar bear subpopulations for future generations (A2) and demonstrated sustainable harvest management regime (A3) and published as a peer reviewed journal article “International consensus principles for the sustainable harvest of polar bears” in Conservation Biology in March 2025. Importantly, the principles outlined in the paper are not prescriptive, and there is no formal mechanism of enforcement. Furthermore, the principles are based primarily on a Western science approach to wildlife management and do not necessarily reflect all Indigenous-centered ways of defining or achieving sustainability. The HMA4 Harvest Regime Table summarizes a description of the harvest regime for each subpopulation addressing whether a quantitative assessment of the population exists (with uncertainty), available date on harvest and associated uncertainty, whether harvest has been determined to be biologically sustainable on quantitative assessment, including associated uncertainty and whether quotas and harvest are within biologically sustainable limits. Finally, HMA6 collated available data from harvested bears and how to analyze that data in a white paper entitled “Uses of harvest information to estimate demographic parameters for polar bears (Ursus maritimus).”
The presentation concludes by reiterating the recommendation that the Range States revisit and reevaluate their current subpopulation harvest regime descriptions against the agreed-to international consensus principles for the sustainable harvest of polar bears and share that evaluation with the Range States. This would inform a discussion among the Range States at the Meeting of the Parties. The authors of the white paper on the international consensus principles have noted that they are based primarily on a western science approach to harvest management and may not represent Indigenous-centered ways of defining or achieving sustainability. The Range States should factor in Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) into their harvest regimes as appropriate.
BREAK at 4:20 - 4:40 pm (UTC)
8.5 OBJECTIVE 5 - Manage human-bear interactions to ensure human safety and to minimize polar bear injury or mortality
8.5 OBJECTIVE 5 - Manage human-bear interactions to ensure human safety and to minimize polar bear injury or mortality - (20 minutes)
Speaker: Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
This presentation addresses CAP Objective 5, which focused on managing human–bear interactions. Progress on the objective was measured against twelve actions and 25 deliverables. Seven actions were completed, four partially completed, and one was not initiated. Achievements included standardized attack response protocols, established baselines for bear and human injuries and deaths, the creation of conflict mitigation templates, and the sharing of deterrent training protocols across Range States. Collaborative research and testing advanced the use of new deterrent tools such as drones, electric fences, and olfactory repellents, while best practices were developed to reduce tourism-related impacts.
Despite this progress, gaps remain. Some actions were not initiated, and the Objective 5 working group was inactive for 2023–2025 aside from publishing conflict data. Monitoring from 2020–2025 indicates that an average of 70 polar bears were killed annually in defense of life or property, while human injuries averaged two per year and fatalities averaged fewer than one.
The presentation concludes by noting that the Range States have made tangible advances in conflict prevention and response, equipping communities with better tools, protocols, and baselines.
8.6 OBJECTIVE 6 - Ensure that international legal trade of polar bears is carried out according to conservation principles and that poaching and illegal trade are curtailed
8.6 OBJECTIVE 6 - Ensure that international legal trade of polar bears is carried out according to conservation principles and that poaching and illegal trade are curtailed - (20 minutes)
Speaker: Ernie Cooper, Senior Advisor, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada
This presentation reviews CAP Objective 6, which focused on ensuring that international trade in polar bears is consistent with conservation principles. Canada remains the principal source of polar bear products in global trade, particularly hides. All Canadian exports are strictly regulated to comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)—implemented by the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act and Wild Animal and Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations.
A central achievement under Objective 6 was the completion of the 2012–2021 polar bear trade review, which provided a comprehensive assessment of the topic.
The presentation reviews how polar bear trade has evolved since 2021. The international trade in hides is now at a 20-year low, making it effectively marginal compared to previous decades. Exports to China dropped sharply after 2013 but have since stabilized at around 36 hides per year, while exports to other Range States have effectively ceased since 2021.
The presentation concludes by noting that the market for polar bear hides can change dramatically in relatively short periods. This underscores both the volatility of market demand and the importance of sustained monitoring to detect sudden changes in trade dynamics.
8.7 OBJECTIVE 7 - Carry out coordinated circumpolar population research and monitoring to monitor progress toward achieving the vision of the CAP
8.7 OBJECTIVE 7 - Carry out coordinated circumpolar population research and monitoring to monitor progress toward achieving the vision of the CAP - (20 minutes)
8.8 Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) WG
8.8 Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) WG - (20 minutes)
Speaker: Ruth Milkereit, Head, Polar Bear Management Unit, Wildlife Management and Regulatory Affairs Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Whitney Kellie-Szender (Pituk), Executive Director, Alaska Nannut Co-Management Council
This presentation reviews the progress made by the PBRS to support the “Inclusion of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge (ITEK) in the Polar Bear Range States as part of the ITEK working group.”
The ITEK WG advanced three actions during the CAP2023-2025 implementation period: ITEK-1 “maintain a compendium and schedule of ITEK studies”, ITEK-2 “Complete a review and analysis to identify potential approaches to enhance implementation of PBRS commitments to inclusion of ITEK and participation of Indigenous peoples and provide recommendations to the HoDs” and ITEK-3 “Prepare an ITEK knowledge synthesis on recent ITEK research.”
The presentation highlights that the completion of all three ITEK initiatives (1, 2 and 3) has advanced the PBRS goal of recognizing “the importance and value of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in informing management decisions and the need for the range states to develop a common understanding of what constitutes Traditional Ecological Knowledge and how it should be used in polar bear management decisions.” It outlines the WG’s findings that WG’s concrete recommendations and approaches to enhance implementation of PBRS commitments to inclusion of ITEK and participation of Indigenous Peoples under the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears should be considered by the PBRS while examining any approach to extending Range States collaborative efforts beyond the 2015-2025 Circumpolar Action Plan (e.g. future Range States work).
BREAK at 6:00 - 6:20 pm (UTC)
8.9 Polar Bears International CAP final review
8.9 Polar Bears International CAP final review
Speaker: Emily Ringer, Polar Bears International
This presentation will summarize a 2024 qualitative study, conducted by Emily Ringer at Polar Bears International, that examined dynamics shaping the implementation of the Circumpolar Action Plan for Polar Bears (CAP), the strengths and limitations of international collaboration, and opportunities for the plan’s evolution post-2025. The study’s overarching aim is to contribute to understanding how organizational operations and systems of governance impact our effectiveness—with the hope that more knowledge about the dynamics of our cross-community, cross-cultural relationships and frameworks may strengthen how we work together.
Drawing on interviews with 18 people involved in CAP implementation and supplementary analysis of official documentation, the study identifies both technical and social factors shaping progress and synthesizes the collected data into a set of key recommendations. The study concludes that continued international collaboration is essential but must evolve toward a leaner, more inclusive, and relationship-centered model—one that balances ambition with practicality and includes adaptive mechanisms that reflect evolving environmental and political realities.
The full report, an executive summary, and appendices are posted with the meeting materials.
8.10 Final review of the 10-year CAP
8.10 Final review of the 10-year CAP
Speaker: Mary Colligan, Wildlife Biologist, NEW Solutions, Experienced Services Program
This presentation will provide a summary of the review conducted of the PBRS 2015-2025 Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP). The details can be found in the draft report which is posted with the meeting materials. While the report provides details on progress related to each of the CAP Objectives, they will not be included in this presentation given they are the subject of other meeting presentations (see agenda items 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6 and 8.7 and 8.8 for ITEK).
The presentation will provide background on the CAP development and review the methodology used to conduct the review of the 10 years of implementation of the CAP. Activities and products associated with CAP implementation will be highlighted and reflections on CAP implementation will be presented. Recommendations for future PBRS collaborative actions and information exchange activities will be offered for each CAP Objective as well as for methods of operation in the future.
BREAK at 6:00 - 6:20 pm (UTC)
POLAR BEAR CONSERVATION AWARD
Meeting day 3 - January 22, 2026
Open session
| Start time (UTC) | Duration | Item | Title | Speaker(s) | Documents |
| 19:35 | 30 min | POLAR BEAR CONSEVATION AWARD | Amalie A Jessen |
The PBRS Chair, Amalie A. Jessen will announce the recipient of the polar bear conservation award for 2025.
The Polar Bear Range States Conservation Award is given out bi- or triennially at the Meeting of the Parties of the Polar Bear Agreement. The award recognizes individuals and/or organizations for long-term/extraordinary service and major contribution towards the conservation of polar bears.
To be eligible for the award individuals or organizations must have:
- Made significant contributions to the management, research and/or conservation of polar bears both nationally (home country) and throughout the circumpolar range, and
- Been nominated by a member of the Range States for long-term service and/or extraordinary service or major contribution to the conservation of polar bears or meeting obligations under the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears.