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Learn about the polar bear, the largest bear and the Arctic's top predator, and why it is vulnerable to climate change. Find out how WWF is working to protect its habitat, population, and culture.
Fifteen years ago, the U.S. granted polar bears protective status under the Endangered Species Act. Yet the bears are now more imperiled than ever—by a warming world and associated sea ice loss.
Learn how climate change, toxic pollution, oil exploration and other factors endanger polar bears and their habitat. Find out how WWF works to protect these iconic animals and their ecosystem.
Sep 25, 2023 · The Service completed a status review of the polar bear in 2023, using the Species Status Assessment framework that integrates Western science and Indigenous Knowledge. The review found that sea ice loss due to climate change continues to threaten the polar bear population and its survival.
Polar bears rely on sea ice to hunt, breed, roam, and sometimes to den. But the Arctic is warming and ice is melting due to human-caused climate change. Already, in parts of the Arctic, longer ice-free seasons and longer fasting periods have led to a decline in some polar bear populations.
The key danger for polar bears posed by the effects of climate change is malnutrition or starvation due to habitat loss. Polar bears hunt seals from a platform of sea ice.
Nov 19, 2015 · The results show that there is a high probability that the global polar bear population will decline by more than 30% over the next 35 to 40 years. The assessment supports the current Vulnerable status of the polar bear on The IUCN Red List.
