North America

Hunting_Polar Bear_Canada

Emma_Hemmerle — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 12:49:01 +0000

Hunting_Polar Bear_Canada Emma_Hemmerle Fri, 02/11/2022 - 12:49

Affiliation

IIED

Date Of Record Entry

Fri, 02/11/2022 - 12:00

Type of wild species covered by the record

Wild species used in its natural habitat

Stage of the value chain covered by the record

Unknown/not recorded

Record Source

“Grey” literature (e.g., NGO reports, case studies, non-detriment studies; project documents etc. (not necessarily peer-reviewed))

Trophy hunting of Polar Bears in Canada

Unknown/not recorded

Is the species endemic HIDE

Unknown

Population Status

Unknown/not recorded

Formal international protection in place

International Level

CITES listing

CMS listing

National Level

Formal national protection in place

Inuit have constitutionally protected rights under land claim agreements to co-manage wildlife.

Threats/Pressures impacting the conservation of the species

Illegal/Unregulated Hunting

Residential and Commercial Development

Energy Production and Mining

Climate Change

Fire

Transportation and Service Corridors

Disease

Invasive Species

Population Trend

Unknown/not recorded

Sub-national Level

Unknown/not recorded

Additional Details (if available)

Anthropogenic and natural changes in Arctic environments, as well as recognition of the shortcomings of our knowledge of Polar Bear ecology, are increasing the challenges for Polar Bear conservation and management. Higher ambient temperatures and erratic weather fluctuations, symptoms of anthropogenic climate change, are increasing across the range of polar bears. Polar Bears are dependent upon Arctic sea ice for access to their prey. Their dependence on an ephemeral habitat that exists as a function of sea surface and atmospheric temperatures means that climate warming poses the single most important threat to the long-term persistence of Polar Bears (Obbard et al. 2010). Arctic sea ice loss has thus far progressed faster than most climate models have predicted (Stroeve et al. 2007) with September sea extent declining at a linear rate of 14% per decade from 1979 through 2011 (Stroeve et al. 2012, Stroeve et al. 2014). Because changes in sea-ice are known to alter Polar Bear abundance, productivity, body condition, and distribution (Stirling et al. 1999, Fischbach et al. 2007, Schleibe et al. 2008, Durner et al. 2009, Regehr et al. 2010, Rode et al. 2010a, 2012, 2014b, Bromaghin et al. 2015), continued climate warming will increase future uncertainty and pose severe risks to the welfare of Polar Bear subpopulations (Stirling and Derocher 2012, Derocher et al. 2013).

Name

Emma Hemmerlé

Scientific Name

Ursus maritimus

Common Name(s)

Polar Bear

Type of Use

Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)

If extractive, for the target species, is this use

Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of

The whole entire organism

How is the primary use carried out?

Hunting and/or Trapping of live Terrestrial and Aerial Animals

Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?

Unknown/not recorded

Purpose of Use

Basic subsistence (meeting day to day essential needs)

Income generation from trade at individual or household or community

Recreational

Additional Details (if available)

Several hundred Polar Bears are harvested annually in Nunavut, the large majority for subsistence and the remainder for trophy hunts (with meat used for subsistence)

What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?

Food for People

Speciment collecting, including hunting/fishing trophies

Amount

450.00

Units Of Measurement

Polar Bears harvested annually in Nunavut

Time period over which this has been recorded

2000–2012

What is the trend in the level of offtake within the period covered by this record?

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