Objective-4 Deliverables

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 

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