Action EH-A2:
Define levels of protective status of polar bear essential (or commonly used) habitat (i.e., winter, summer and denning habitat)

Summary of the Action:

GIS data detailing the boundaries of protected areas that occur within the range of polar bear within each Range State will be overlaid on the maps of essential (or commonly used) polar bear habitat, which the PBSG produced during the CAP 2020-23 implementation period. This will occur for winter, summer, and denning essential (or commonly used) habitat in each of the 19 polar bear subpopulations across the circumpolar Arctic.

Action Leads: 

Lauren Schmuck (Environment and Climate Change Canada, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Sofie Abelsen (Greenland Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Participants:

Polar Bear Range States members:

   

Canada:

Lauren Schmuck (Environment Climate Change Canada)

Greenland: 

Sofie Abelsen (Greenland Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture) 

 

Invited experts:

   

IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group (Co-chair) and 
University of Washington

Dr. Kristin Laidre (TBC)

IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group (Co-chair)

Dr. Nick Lunn (TBC)

IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group (Member) and 
Environment and Climate Change Canada

Dr. Evan Richardson (TBC)

Inuit Circumpolar Council

Rowenna Gryba

 

Duration of action:

November 2023 - October 2025

Deliverables/ output:

D1: For each of the 19 polar bear subpopulations, a map showing the location of protected areas and the essential/commonly used polar bear winter, summer and denning habitats that were identified by the PBSG during the CAP 2020-23 Implementation Period.

D2: A report outlining the methods used to produce the maps.

D3. Inclusion of Indigenous knowledge (TBD)

Mechanism of completion:

It is anticipated that a contractor (possibly a member of the Polar Bear Specialist Group) will be hired to produce the maps. As the maps of essential (or commonly used) polar bear habitat that were produced by the PBSG were made using data that is owned by Polar Bear Specialist Group members (or their organizations), it will be necessary to involve the Polar Bear Specialist Group in the production of the maps that will be generated as part of Action EH-A2. This is because the raw data used to create the maps of essential (or commonly used) polar bear habitat will be required to produce the maps that will be the product of EH-A2.