New polar bear agreement reached
By Luna Finnsson on Nov 7, 2009 in Canada, Greenland, MBL, Politics, Society,
environment

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2009/11/07/new-polar-bear-agreement-reached/

Greenland and Canada have agreed to work together to co-manage their joint polar
bear population.

The arrangement involves both the Greenland and Canadian governments along with
the territorial government of Nunavut in Canada.

Jim Prentice, Canada's Federal Environment Minister travelled to Kangerlussuaq
in Western Greenland on the 29th of October to meet with his counterparts as
they reached a common agreement on polar bear management, according to Siku
News.

The tripartite accord has been in the planning for several months and will
encompass the Canadian Arctic along with hunting regions shared by Greenland and
the Nunavut federal territory, notably Baffin Bay and the Kane basin.

The practice of hunting polar bears has been the cause of considerable
international controversy for many years, with environmental experts claiming
that the population is not sustainable under current levels. In recent years
activists in the USA have been at the forefront of moves to classify the polar
bear as an endangered species at risk due to climate change. It is currently
classified as vulnerable.

Sixty eight bears are hunted under quota by Greenland in Baffin Bay each year
and there is substantial pressure on Nunavut authorities to adopt similar
limits. Presently the quota for Nunavut hunters in Baffin Bay is 108 polar bears
although the territory has proposed reducing the number to 64 or the possible
introduction of a complete moratorium in the area.

However, Inuit hunters have claimed the Baffin Bay polar bear population is in
fact not going down but increasing. The Inuit say their information is more
reliable than scientific studies given their close contact with the animals.

The total population is around 25,000 in global Polar Regions. Of the 13 polar
bear subpopulations in Canada, those in the Kane Basin and Baffin Bay are shared
between Nunavut and Greenland.


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