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What has Canada done?: According to the Government of Canada a committee of “wildlife experts considering science and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge” determined polar bears were listed as a species of Special Concern in 2008. In 2011 The polar bear was determined a species of Special Concern under the “Species at Risk Act” also known as (SARA) which is a domestic legislation to protect wildlife in Canada. Since then, the Polar Bear Technical Committee has identified the most vulnerable populations of polar bears. There has been a signature of a memorandum of understanding with Greenland on targeted export restrictions in an attempt to save the declining polar bear population.
Some additional actions include:
There are also many non governmental organizations such as: Polar Bears International, World Wildlife Fund, Polar Bear foundation, etc.
Although all these plans and actions are wonderful initiatives to control the population of polar bears, the real problem lays in the global warming that made these species endangered.
Canada is addressing the impact of climate change on domestic, continental and international levels.
Some additional actions include:
- Scientific advice and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge on harvest management with the agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973)
- Regulating import/export of live polar bears through the WAPPRIITA
- Creating protected areas for critical habitat to polar bears (such as the Ontario Polar Bear Park)
- Developing a National Polar Bear Conservation Strategy and being involved in the development of a “Circumpolar Action Plan” with the other Range States. This plan will be informed by the science and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge and will focus on the collaboration of all countries in which polar bears live in.
- Canada is working with international partner (including non-gov organizations) to help conserve polar bear populations.
- 1973 Agreement on Conservation of Polar Bears
- CITES
- signing two agreements on the management of polar bears (US-CANADA/ GREENLAND-CANADA)
- working with the IUCN, a group in which some scientists are Canadian and give independent advice to many governments
There are also many non governmental organizations such as: Polar Bears International, World Wildlife Fund, Polar Bear foundation, etc.
Although all these plans and actions are wonderful initiatives to control the population of polar bears, the real problem lays in the global warming that made these species endangered.
Canada is addressing the impact of climate change on domestic, continental and international levels.
- The government has made a promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 by 2020. A plan has been implemented to address all major sources of GHG emissions.
- The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action has set out an international plan (that includes all major emitters) to be implemented by 2020. (Government of Canada, 2014)