Photo credit: Kristin LaidreGreenland is the home of 4-5 polar bear sub-populations. Greenland has sole jurisdiction over the sub-population along the East Greenlandic coast. Kane Basin and Baffin Bay subpopulations are shared with Nunavut, Canada. The jurisdiction over Davis Strait is not covered by any Memorandum of Understanding; however, it is geographically shared with Canada.
Legislation
The Greenland Government Act No. 34 of June 13, 2023 on Hunting and Game provides the legal framework for wildlife management and sets the legal boundaries for the protection of wildlife, including polar bears. The Executive Order on the Protection and Hunting of Polar Bear regulates the harvest of polar bears, limiting the harvest to single adult polar bears, and sets the boundaries of polar bear research. Laws on environmental protection and animal welfare also apply to the management of polar bears.
Habitat Protection
Among the protected areas, two sites are located within polar bear habitat: Melville Bay (10,500 km2) in the northwest and Greenland National Park (972,000 km2) in the northeast. The protection of these areas safeguards biodiversity while providing access to recreational use in designated areas. Furthermore, Greenland Government adopted a new polar bear protection area in South East Greenland in 2023, protecting all polar bears in the area.
Management System
Photo credit:Mads Ole KristiansenResponsibility for the management of polar bears resides with the Division of Hunting and Game, within the Ministry of Fisheries and Hunting. The Division manages both marine and terrestrial species hunted in Greenlandic territory. Licenses to harvest polar bears are issued by the municipalities, within annual quotas set by either the Ministry or the Cabinet.
Trophy hunting is not allowed. From 2023, the executive order allows polar bear watching with specific requirements to those who has a certificate to conduct polar bear watching in specific areas. Export of polar bear products are not permitted in reference to the self-imposed ban from 2008.
The Greenland Fisheries and Hunting Control is tasked with enforcing the regulations set by the government and the municipalities.
The Minister of Fisheries and Hunting sets an annual quota of polar bears for subsistence harvest. The Ministry drafts a preliminary allocation of the quota based on the latest scientific advice and harvest results for the preceding harvest season, and then sends the draft for consultations among the stakeholders, also taking into account local knowledge. In the end, it is the Cabinet which makes an overall decision on the size of the total quota.
National Action Plan
Photo credit: Henrik Hansen The objective of the Greenlandic Action Plan is to aid the management authority for polar bears (the Division of Hunting and Game) in ensuring their long-term conservation.
Click here to view the National Management Plan for Polar Bears in Greenland (in Danish with English resume).
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Additional resources: Greenland National Report on Management of Polar bears, 2024, presented at the 20th working meeting of the IUCN Polar Bear Specilist Group on June 10-14, 2024: Report, and Presentation.
