 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
Canada asks Inuit, others for input on safeguarding polar bears
Ottawa (AFP) Aug 28, 2008 Canada's environment minister on Thursday deferred safeguarding this country's iconic polar bear, saying more study of its circumstances and how it could be protected is required. The decision comes as a scientific panel in Canada delivered its final report on the polar bear, urging the government to act to safeguard it. "Our government believes that the polar bear is an iconic symbol of Canada," Environment Minister John Baird said in a statement. "Clearly, we need to ensure that the polar bear does not become endangered or threatened in Canada." "At the same time," he said, "we have a constitutional duty to work with a number of groups like the Inuit on protecting the polar bear, (and) we can also learn from traditional aboriginal and Inuit knowledge." The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in an interim report in April reassessed the polar bear as a "species of special concern," or as panel chairman Jeffrey Hutchings put it, "a species at risk ... (and) in trouble." But, the panel added, it was not imminently threatened with extinction. Its final report reaffirmed its stated position. After receiving it, Baird announced a national roundtable with Inuit, environmental groups, provincial and territorial governments, and experts "to consider the science of COSEWIC" and "to chart Canada's course on protecting this majestic animal." The category for a species "of special concern" is among the lowest in COSEWIC's catalogue of risk assessments with "endangered" topping the list for animals facing imminent extinction. In its assessment, COSEWIC noted that polar bear populations are declining in some areas, are stable in others, but are increasing in some parts. The total population in Canada, where two-thirds of the world's polar bears live, is estimated at 15,500. The primary threats to the polar bear in Canada, said Hutchings, are over-harvesting, a decline in summer sea ice, and oil and gas development. But the panel said it was unable to determine exactly how much of an impact these were having on the bear. If Baird accepts COSEWIC's recommendation, the government must prepare a conservation plan addressing threats to the bear and its habitat. Previous environment ministers rejected COSEWIC assessments in 1991, 1999 and 2002, citing concerns about insufficient or outdated data, and asked for more research. The United States in May listed the polar bear as a threatened species. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Beyond the Ice Age
Greenland's Largest Glaciers Predicted To Disintegrate Soon
Columbus OH (SPX) Aug 26, 2008Researchers monitoring daily satellite images here of Greenland's glaciers have discovered break-ups at two of the largest glaciers in the last month. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook