Objective-3 Actions

Develop messages about the importance of conserving essential habitat

To be completed

Define levels of protective status of polar bear essential habitat

Summary of the Action:
Action EH-A2 involves clearly defining ‘essential habitat’, identifying where essential habitat that currently exists both currently protected and unprotected, and identifying which pieces of essential habitat are not present either because not yet identified or identified but not yet protected.

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

Participants:
External contractor (possibly)

Duration of action:
April 2021 – December 2021

Deliverables (output):
D1: A definition of polar bear essential habitat that is agreed upon by the Polar Bear Range States

• May 2021

D2: Table listing the protected areas in each (or some of) the Polar Bear Range States that overlap with polar bear essential habitat, and which IUCN protected areas category they are most

Define categories of essential polar bear habitat and compile existing information to generate an inventory of essential habitat by the categories (and identify gaps in existing information)

Summary of the Action:
Essential habitat is the area required to a species’ key life functions. Some examples of essential habitat for polar bears may include foraging grounds, denning sites, movement corridors, and areas used for mating and rearing cubs. The protection of essential habitat is vitally important for the long-term conservation of polar bears.

In order to protect essential habitat, it is important to define exactly what it is, and create an inventory of where it exists (including identification of any gaps in existing information). This will be accomplished by developing definitions of essential habitat used by polar bears throughout the circumpolar arctic, and creating an inventory of existing information on essential polar bear habitat by categories, based on the definitions of essential habitat. This inventory will help identify which categories of essential habitat tracking and monitoring should focus on, given finite resource availability. Finally, a document detailing the appropriate methods and frequency for tracking changes in essential polar bear habitat caused by climate change will be produced. This work will be done in close cooperation with the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group.

Action Leads: 
Lauren Schmuck (Environment and Climate Change Canada, This email address is being protected from spambots. You