Fauna Journal Entry

Polar Bear Habitat May Get Protection (November 9, 2009)

The United States government proposed making a 200,000 square mile (500,000 sq. km) area off Alaska's coast "critical habitat" for polar bears. The goal is to protect the bears from activities like oil and gas drilling or shipping that could push them closer to extinction. The polar bear is the first species protected under the Endangered Species Act because of global climate change. Their status is "threatened," which means they're in danger of becoming "endangered" in the near future.

The proposal will be open for public discussion while more research on its impact continues. A final ruling is expected in June 2010. If adopted, the ruling wouldn't actually ban drilling or shipping in the protected areas. But companies would be required to show the activity would not harm polar bears or their habitat in any way.

Over 90 percent of the newly protected area is sea ice. The rest includes barrier islands and snow dens on land. In recent years, polar bears have suffered as sea ice has melted in the Arctic. Before the meltdown, polar bears spent most of their time on the ice hunting for seals and other prey. But as sea ice thins and gets less stable, the bears spend more time on land, where they often struggle to find food or keep away from human hunters.

Polar bears are sometimes forced to swim great distances because of melting ice. Some bears have been spotted in recent years swimming in open water at least 20 miles (32 km) from the nearest sea ice. These long swims force them to burn up huge amounts of energy and make survival even more of a challenge.