AS5: Conflict between people and polar bears in the Arctic: how to address an increasing issue?

Date: Friday October 12, 2018

Location: Erottaja, ELY

Time: 10:30-12:00

A reduction in available and suitable sea ice habitat for polar bears, combined with greater human presence in some areas, is predicted to result in more interactions between people and polar bears in the Arctic. Such encounters can lead to people being injured or killed, property damage and polar bears killed in defence. Ensuring the safe coexistence of humans and polar bears in the face of change is an essential component of polar bear management. This session will discuss continuing and emerging challenges of co-existence between people and polar bears. Using case studies across the Arctic, it will discuss recent advances in information tracking, technological innovations and attractant management. We welcome to this session presentations that showcase challenges with or solutions to managing conflict between people and other Arctic species that will be useful for knowledge exchange.

Chair: Melanie Lancaster, World Wide Fund for Nature

Format: Series of presentations followed by discussion

Presentations:

  1. Human-polar bear conflict: recap from CAFF ABC 2014: Melanie Lancaster, WWF  pdf
  2. Communities living with polar bears: Gregor Gilbert, Makivik Corporation; Mark Basterfield, Nunavut Marine WIldlife Management Board pdf
  3. Arctic governments working together: pan-Arctic workplan for HPBC reduction: Sybille Klenzendorf, World Wildlife Fund and co-chair of Polar Bear Range States Conflict Working Group pdf
  4. The polar bear deterrence toolbox: innovations: Femke Hilderink, World Wide Fund for Nature pdf
  5. Industry perspective from the oil and gas sector on reducing human-polar bear conflict: Christina Pohl, BP Alaska pdf