Polar Bears and ANWR get Help
ESA Listing and ANWR Amendment May Help US Polar Bears
USFWS proposes polar bears for Threatened status under the ESA while Udall Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act seeks to further protect critical denning habitat.
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) has long been listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and under Appendix 2 by CITES, but only recently has the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) recognized the need for stronger protection within the United States. On Jaunary 9, 2007, the USFWS proposed this species for Threatened status under the Endangered Species Act. A combination of perils from climate change and oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) face these bears.
ANWR, particularly the 1.5 million acres of coastal plain where oil exploration is proposed, is the site of a significant number of polar bear dens (42% of bears that were tracked in Alaska and Canada between 1981 and 2000 had dens in this area). Females den from August/September to March/April. While not a true hibernation, the heart rate slows and they sleep deeply, conserving energy for cub development and nursing. Disturbance in the denning area would likely affect birth and cub survival rates.
The Udall Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (HR 39) is before US Congress as a proposal to amend the original Arctic National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to include the coastal plain as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. As a Refuge, the area is open to controlled hunting, fishing and other ‘legitimate and compatible uses', which can include oil exploration. Once protected under the Preservation System, no commercial enterprise or permanent road is allowed in the area.
ANWR has been under constant threat since its inception despite the fact that the oil reserves in the area are estimated to be as little as a 9 month supply for the US.
And while there has been a great deal of publicity on the effects of ice melt on polar bears, less attention has been paid to their vulnerability to oil. As with many furbearing species, contact with oil reduces the insulating effect of the bear’s fur. More energy is needed to keep warm so more energy must be expended searching for food. A search for food that is already being hampered by climate change.
Oil that is ingested while grooming causes liver and kidney damage. Even a small amount of oil being ingested can be fatal to this species. Survivors suffer from chronic oil toxicity which can result in a multitude of health and reproductive problems.
Preventing oil exploration in the ANWR coastal plain will reduce one threat to this vulnerable species.
Other Sources:
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/arctic/polar_bear/threats/oil_exploration/index.cfm
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/#polarbear ES program
