Objective-2 Actions

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:

Action CCC-A6:
Communicate key messages to the public

Summary of the Action: 

The PBRS will work with external organizations that are members of the Climate Change Communications Working Group to communicate the key messages of the Climate Change Communications Strategy. This will include both the PBRS and external partners identifying events, conferences, special days, and other opportunities for communicating these key messages, and taking advantage of these opportunities.

Action Leads: 

Lauren Schmuck (Environment and Climate Change Canada, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Participants:

The Polar Bear Range States and the Climate Change Communications Working Group (see here)

Duration of action:
January 2023 - December

Action CCC-A5:
Enter into climate change communications partnerships with organizations that have targeted audiences and strong public reach

Summary of the Action: 

The PBRS collaborated with external organizations that have targeted audiences and strong public reach to develop the Climate Change Communications Strategy. During the 2023-25 implementation period, the PBRS will enter into (formal) partnerships with these organizations to help share the key messages of the Climate Change Communications Strategy with these audiences.

Action Leads: 

Lauren Schmuck (Environment and Climate Change Canada, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Participants:

The Polar Bear Range States and the Climate Change Communications Working Group (see here)

Duration of action:
January 2024 - December 2025

Enter into climate change communications partnerships with organizations that have targeted audiences and strong public reach

Summary of the Action: 
Through Action CCC-A2, collaborative partnerships will be created that the Range States will seek to continue beyond the lifespan of the Climate Change Communication Working Group, and the Range States will propose a framework to allow such partnerships to stay active and productive. Partnerships with other organizations will help ensure proper context and broad outreach and uptake of communications messages.

Action Lead: 
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Norwegian Environment Agency)

Polar Bear Range States Participants:

• Lauren Schmuck (Environment and Climate Change Canada)
• Lindsey Mangipane (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, member)
• Jesper Ødegård Jacobsen (Greenland Ministry of Fisheries, Hunting and Agriculture)
• Karen Lone (Norwegian Environment Agency)
• Stanislav Belikov (Russia)
• Angelina Gnedenko (Russia)
• Droplaug Ólafsdóttir (Polar Bear Agreement, Project Officer)
  
  

Duration of action:
2020-2022

Deliverables (output):

• D1. Partner organizations will have provided input on how best to convey the messages developed by Range States and PBSG through the work of the

Action CCC-A4:
Post and maintain key information related to the Climate Change Communications Strategy on the Polar Bear Range States website.

Summary of the Action: 

Use the Polar Bear Range States website as a platform for communicating the key messages from the Climate Change Communications Strategy, and sharing information related to communications channels (e.g., climate change conferences, social media, etc.) that the PBRS have used to disseminate information from the Strategy.

Action Lead: 

Lauren Schmuck (Environment and Climate Change Canada, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Participants:

The Polar Bear Range States and the Climate Change Communications Working Group (see here)

Duration of action:
November 2023 - October 2025

CCC-A3 - Communications Opportunities (2020-2023)

Develop a climate change communications plan that outlines key messages (e.g., how climate change effects vary among subpopulations on both temporal and spatial scales, impacts to prey and denning habitat) regarding the threat to the Arctic and to polar bears from climate change and the need for the global community to reduce GHG emissions

 Summary of the Action:
At the March 2020 biennial meeting of the Polar Bear Range States held in Norway, it was decided that a circumpolar communications plan that addresses the effects of climate change on polar bear conservation should be developed to help achieve Objective 2 of the CAP on climate change communications. It was decided that an ad hoc working group should be created to draft the plan.

The ad hoc Climate Change Communications Working Group (CCCWG) is composed of Range States representatives as well as invited external experts, including representatives from the scientific advisory body to the RS (the Polar Bear Specialist Group - PBSG) and representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), indigenous rights holders and other relevant organizations that have targeted audiences and strong public reach. The ad hoc working group is time-limited and specific in scope. The main goal of the work is to develop a Climate Change Communications plan that outlines key messages and related communications actions about the impact of climate change on polar bears and their habitats.

Action Lead: 
Andreas B. Schei (Norwegian Environment Agency, This email address is being