Photo credit: FWS
  

A template for site specific conflict mitigation plans has been published on the Polar Bear Range States website.

Site-specific human-polar bear safety and conflict mitigation plans are an important tool for those working or living in polar bear habitat. Conflict mitigation plans are recommended whenever there is the potential for people to come into contact with bears, and they can be tailored for use by communities, temporary work or research camps, and permanent work sites. Conflict mitigation plans are intended to:

1. Minimize the occurrence of human-polar bear interactions
2. Reduce potential impacts to polar bears
3. Decrease the severity of human-polar bear interactions
4. Minimize the potential for injury or death to people and bears

Implementation of conflict mitigation plans can help minimize the frequency and consequences of human-polar bear interactions. Effective conflict mitigation plans consider preventative measures for avoiding interactions with bears (e.g., attractants management), tools for detecting bears near communities or work sites, and protocols for responding to interactions if they occur. This template includes components to be considered when drafting site-specific conflict mitigation plans. Example interaction may be provided upon request to the Heads of Delegation (https://polarbearagreement.org/index.php/contactinformation/).

Photo credit: FWS

The template can be viewed and downloaded here 

The Polar Bear Range States will host a Meeting of the Parties to the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (Agreement) on November 4-7, 2025. The meeting will be virtual.

 
The purpose of the 2025 Meeting of the Parties is to:

• Provide update on conservation status of polar bears and their habitats throughout their range and in each of the Range States
• Address the final review of the 2015-2025 Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP) as well as decide on future plans of collaborative issues
• Highlight and discuss other key issues of relevance to polar bear conservation as well as financial and administrative issues in the agreement

Stakeholders and partners entities with a demonstrated interest in polar bear conservation may request to be recognized as an observer at public sessions of the meeting. Stakeholders and partners entities may include but are not limited to:

• Governments not Party to the Agreement
• Any Inter-governmental organization (IGO) not a party to the Agreement or any intergovernmental organization
• Indigenous Groups
• Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)

Entities interested in attending the upcoming Meeting of the Parties may apply for observer status through an online form by August 31, 2025 (here).

The Range States Heads of Delegation will consider the applications received and make decisions on a consensus basis. Applicants will be informed whether their Observer application has been approved by September 15, 2025. Each Observer representative will be requested to register individually to the meeting through a separate online form.

All observers at the meeting are reqired to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Observers contained in Annex A to the Rules of Procedures for the Parties (here).

For further information, see the meeting website here

Photo credit: Christian Artuso
  

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are legally harvested for subsistence (i.e., nutritional, cultural, and economic) purposes by Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Greenland, and the United States. As sea-ice loss due to climate warming continues, ensuring that subsistence harvest remains sustainable is a primary conservation priority. This paper, commissioned by the Polar Bear Range States under the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, establishes international consensus principles to guide the management of harvested polar bear subpopulations. It defines sustainable harvest in relation to population dynamics, outlines the scientific assessments needed to determine sustainable harvest levels—including habitat evaluations, demographic studies, and Indigenous Knowledge—and describes the components of a sustainable, state-dependent harvest management regime. By integrating climate considerations into harvest strategies and emphasizing interjurisdictional cooperation, these principles provide a foundation for long-term conservation while supporting the ability of Indigenous Peoples to maintain subsistence practices. The full paper was published in the journal Conservation Biology in March 2025 and is available for download below.

The Regehr et al. 2025 Conservation Biology paper can be viewed and downloaded here 

The Polar Bear Range States are now accepting nominations for the 2025 Polar Bear Range States Conservation Award.

 The 2025 Polar Bear Range States Conservation Award will be given at the Meeting of the Parties of the Polar Bear Agreement in Nuuk, Greenland scheduled for November 4-6, 2025.

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.

Nominations for the award must include a completed nomination form and any relevant support material. The nominations must be sent by email to Amalie A. Jessen, Chair of the Heads of Delegation, at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 15, 2025. All received nominations will be evaluated and an award winner be selected by the Range States.

Criteria and guidelines are provided in the nomination form. Further information about the evaluation is also provided in the evaluation form. (please note that the evalutation form is for reference only and shall not be filled out).

For any questions about the nomination form and the nomination process please feel free to contact Amalie A. Jessen at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 Further information of the Polar Bear Range States Conservation Award and previous winners is provided at the Polar Bear Range States website.

Photo credit: Minik Holding & Aviaq S. HolmPolar Bear Range States meeting initially scheduled for November 4-6 in Nuuk, Greenland has been modified to a virtual meeting for November 4-7, 2025.

The Polar Bear Range States will host a Meeting of the Parties to the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (Agreement) on November 4-7, 2025. The meeting will be virtual.

 
The Meeting of the Parties is the main governing body of the Polar Bear Range States where the States meet to discuss issues of importance to the cooperation under the Agreement.

The purpose of the 2025 Meeting of the Parties is to:

• Provide update on conservation status of polar bears and their habitats throughout their range and in each of the Range States
• Address the final review of the 2015-2025 Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP) as well as decide on future plans of collaborative issues
• Highlight and discuss other key issues of relevance to polar bear conservation as well as financial and administrative issues in the agreement

For further information, see the meeting website here

Photo credit: Christian Artuso
  

A white paper entitled “Polar bear harvest management: defining biological sustainability, the components of a quantitative subpopulation assessment, and the components of a sustainable harvest management regime” authored by E.V. Regehr, E.M. Andersen, M.P. Galicia, S.A. Iverson, L.S. Mangipane, E.S. Richardson, F. Ugarte, S.P. Woodruff has been published on the Polar Bear Range States website.

The purpose of the white paper is to provide consistent guidance while allowing co-management partners the flexibility to select harvest strategies that meet their specific situation and management objectives. The framework presented reflects the life history of polar bears and considers the current and future effects of climate change. It is based largely on a western science approach to harvest management and may not represent Indigenous-centered ways of defining or achieving sustainability.

The white paper can be viewed and downloaded here 

A report “Review and Analysis of Canadian Trade in Polar Bears from 2012-2021” authored by Ernest W. T. Cooper has been published and presented on the Polar Bear Range States website.

The purpose of the review was to compile information about the harvest and trade in Canadian polar bears for the years 2012–2021. The report is a follow-up to the 2015 report entitled "Review and Analysis of Canadian Trade in Polar Bears from 2005–2014" and attempts to provide a national picture of Canadian exports linked to harvest management at the provincial, territorial or settlement area level.

The CAP 2020-2023 Implementation Plan pamphlet gives an overview of the Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP) and the main objectives set for the Implementation period of 2020-2023.

The pamplet can be viewed and downloaded here.

Further information of the 2015-2025 Circumpolar Action Plan is presented here.

Further information of the 2020-2023 Implementation Plan is presented here.

The Range States Human-Polar Bear Conflict Working Group has published recommendations of approach to be taken by appropriate authorities in situations when polar bears are dispatched in locations outside of their normal range. Occasionally, some polar bears get transported long distances by ocean currents and sea ice.

The purpose of the recommendation is to give practical information of polar bear sampling to local people and agencies in locations such as Iceland, Newfoundland or other areas outside of their normal habitat.

The position paper can be viewed and downloaded here.

Lists of Polar-Bear Deterrence Programs and Training Protocols available across the Range States have been published on the Polar Bear Range States website.

Human-polar bear interactions are becoming more common and frequent across the Arctic. These interactions are linked to expanding human activity including tourism and exploration in the Arctic, and polar bears spending more time on land due to sea ice loss. There is a continued need to address human-polar bear interactions to ensure public safety and minimize polar bear injury or mortality. Deterrence programs and training protocols can provide site- and situation-specific measures to minimize interactions between humans and polar bears.

For more information see here