Five-Year Review Of Polar Bear Populations Is Underway As This Year’s Sea Ice Cover Is The Second Lowest On Record

Climate change is the primary threat to polar bear survival. Sea ice cover this year was the second-lowest on record. For the Southern Beaufort Sea population which is found in the southern portion of the polar bear’s range, the loss of sea ice is significant and is considered the main cause of their population decline – from an estimated 1,800 polar bears in the late 1980s, to only 900 by 2010. This population is further threatened by oil development along the northern coast of Alaska, particularly with a congressionally-mandated oil leasing program for the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a place that is vital to the bear’s reproductive success.

In 2017, FWS estimated the global population of polar bears at 26,000, noting that this number was certain to decline in the future along with sea ice.

Polar bears were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in May 2008. The ESA ensures that management activities by agencies are focused on protecting and recovering imperiled species and requires critical habitat designations.

Defenders of Wildlife advocated for the ESA listing and for the designation of critical habitat for polar bears. In 2010, more than 120 million acres were designated critical habitat, 96% of which is sea ice, and 4% is onshore. For Southern Beaufort Sea polar bears, that 4% is becoming more important as their sea ice habitat diminishes, especially for denning and raising cubs.