On January 9, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released its final Comprehensive Management Plan for polar bears that outlines specific conservation actions for the near term while calling for global action on climate change for long-term survival. Polar bears were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 2008 due in large part to the loss of its sea-ice habitat. The plan, developed through collaboration with experts and partners, calls for reducing human-bear conflicts, collaboratively managing subsistence harvest, protecting denning habitat, and minimizing the risk of contamination from oil spills. The plan also calls for increased research and monitoring to determine whether the actions are effective.

?This plan outlines the necessary actions and concrete commitments by the Service and our state, tribal, federal, and international partners to protect polar bears in the near term,? said Greg Siekaniec, The Service?s Alaska Regional Director. ?But make no mistake; without decisive action to address Arctic warming, the long-term fate of this species is uncertain.?