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U.S. to give threatened polar bears vast 'critical habitat'

U.S. to give threatened polar bears vast 'critical habitat'


October 24, 2009


The United States on Thursday announced plans to designate more than
200,000 square miles in Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears, a
key step towards increasing protection for the threatened species.

The United States on Thursday announced plans to designate more than
200,000 square miles in Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears, a
key step towards increasing protection for the threatened species.
Photograph by: Michael Latz, AFP

WASHINGTON – The United States on Thursday announced plans to designate
more than 200,000 square miles in Alaska as critical habitat for polar
bears, a key step towards increasing protection for the threatened
species.

"Proposing critical habitat for this iconic species is one step in the
right direction to help this species stave off extinction, recognizing
that the greatest threat to the polar bear is the melting of Arctic sea
ice caused by climate change," Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish,
Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland said in a statement announcing the
move.

The habitat would cover 200,541 square miles (519,399 square
kilometeters) and include barrier islands along Alaska's coast, sea ice
habitat, land and rivers near the coast where the bears make their
dens.

The United States listed the polar bear as a threatened species in May
last year, saying climate change has caused a drastic loss of Arctic
sea-ice, which is essential for the survival of the bears.

But although the Endangered Species Act calls for a critical habitat to
be designated at the same time as a species is declared threatened,
wildlife officials under the previous administration of president
George W. Bush held off on naming the habitat area.

The Bush administration also pushed forward with the sale of offshore
exploration leases in parts of Alaska where polar bears dwell,
insisting that developing oil activities in Alaska would not harm the
bears.

By contrast, Strickland said the administration of President Barack
Obama "is fully committed to the protection and recovery of the polar
bear."

But the designated critical habitat for the bears would include "areas
where oil and gas exploration activities are known to occur," according
to the Fish and Wildlife Services, the branch of the Department of the
Interior in charge of nature conservancy.