"The principal threat to polar bears now is coming from climate change," Erik Solheim told representatives of the five countries that ring the Arctic -- Canada, Denmark (with Greenland), Norway, Russia and the United States.

"To succeed in conserving the important ecosystems (that the polar bear depends on) we must stop global warming," he said at the gathering in the northern Norwegian town of Tromsoe.

The three-day meeting will discuss how to address threats to the white bear that have emerged since the five countries first signed a conservation agreement in 1973, when hunters were the species' only known enemy.

Nearly four decades later, global warming is considered by far the biggest danger to the polar bear, as it melts the Arctic sea ice that makes up the animal's primary hunting ground for its main prey, seals.

Some estimates show the ice could disappear completely during the summer months by 2020 or even earlier.

With the mercury rising ever higher, as many as two thirds of the 20-25,000 polar bears that roam the Arctic could disappear by the middle of this century, according to a recent estimate from the US Geological Survey.

After that, the remainder of the animals would only be found in the far north of Canada and Greenland, experts predict.

The Tromsoe gathering comes just nine months before talks on a new global pact on climate change to replace the Kyoto accord are to be held in Copenhagen. The outcome of that is largely expected to determine the fate of the polar bear.

"I hope that we here will reach a consensus that will send a strong message to the climate negotiators," Solheim told AFP on the sidelines of the conference.

"This meeting is not about debating a 25 or 30 percent reduction of greenhouse gases, but rather it's about issuing a loud warning before the Copenhagen meeting: the situation in the Arctic, as symbolised by the polar bear, is very serious," he added.

Host country Norway hopes the meeting will not only lead to a recognition of the link between saving the climate and saving the polar bear, but also an agreement on a joint action plan and increased efforts to reduce other dangers to the species.

The polar bear is also threatened by chemical pollutants from industries and increased human activity in the once-pristine Arctic.

They include oil and gas prospecting, mining, tourism, military exercises and shipping, all of which are expected to boom as the Arctic ice melts.

Environmental activists on Tuesday vehemently criticised a decision to exclude observers from parts of the Tromsoe meeting at the request of certain participants.

They interpreted this as a lack of real willingness to address delicate issues.

"Before, it was dangerous to run into a polar bear if you weren't carrying a weapon," said Rasmus Hansson, the head of the Norwegian branch of environmental group WWF.

"Today, the topic of polar bears seems as dangerous in the international political arena, where the slightest mention of it means you have to discuss subjects that hurt, like climate change," he told AFP.

All fingers were being pointed at Canada and Greenland, he added.

"Canadian authorities want to pretend that it's possible to discuss the polar bear without taking climate change into account, which is a position that is difficult to defend," Hansson said.

"As for Greenland, it interprets the presence of observers as an unacceptable interference in its management of the polar bear hunt, which is a tradition there," he said.

The heads of the Canadian and Greenlandic delegations told AFP they wanted the Tromsoe meeting to be kept at the "technical" level focusing on a simple exchange of information.

Norway had meanwhile indicated that it hoped the meeting would lead to concrete decisions.

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