U.S. rules polar bears are threatened

Mia Rabson, May 15, Winnipeg Free Press -- The United States has joined Manitoba in listing polar bears as threatened.

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U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said evidence of shrinking Arctic sea ice due to global warming led him to accept an analysis that polar bear populations in the U.S. could become endangered within 45 years.

That was enough to name the species threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, Kempthorne said.

Dr. Peter Ewens, director of species conservation with World Wildlife Fund Canada, said it would be "bizarre" if Canada didn't follow suit with Wednesday's decicion by the U.S., considering this country is home to two-thirds of the world's polar bear population.

"The U.S. listing today confirms, based on solid scientific evidence, that this animal is headed towards extinction," said Ewens, who was in Washington, D.C., for the announcement.

Kempthorne was quick to soften his decision, saying it does not mean an automatic end to Alaska oil drilling and exploration.

If Canada were to list the species as threatened, Ewens said, that would mean this country would have to formulate a recovery plan for the bears within two years. It could mean Canada would not be able to proceed with the current licensing process for oil exploration in the Beaufort Sea, he said.

The government is expected to award four licences for exploration on June 2, but Ewens said there's not yet a marine mammal conservation strategy for the area, or an understanding of how to clean up an oil spill in Arctic waters.

Oil exploration brings with it a 40 per cent risk of a spill, Ewens said.

"Oil and bears do not mix," he said, adding it makes no sense to accept that bears are threatened, but then increase the stresses on them by allowing oil drilling in their habitat.

Five of Canada's 13 subpopulations of polar bears have declined in number, and Canada currently lists them as a species of concern on the recommendation of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

Environment Minister John Baird said he expects to do more for the bears, but is waiting for specific scientific studies expected in August before he makes a decision on whether to join the U.S. in listing the species as "threatened."

"The bottom line is a declining polar bear population is not an option for Canada," Baird said.

Liberal environment critic David McGuinty said Baird's stance is "not tough enough at all." McGuinty said if Baird were an effective minister, he would classify the bear as potentially endangered because it is better to be safe than sorry. That would involve stopping the licensing of oil and gas exploration until more assessments are done on the potential impact on polar bears.

In February, the Manitoba government became the first government in Canada to list the bears as threatened, which added protection for areas where the bears have their dens. Development and tourism operators in Churchill will have to better accommodate the bears.

Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said he urges all other governments, including Canada, to follow suit.

The U.S. designation eliminates potential complications for energy projects like Alberta's oilsands that produce a higher amount of greenhouse gases.But the United States will no longer allow imports of polar bear trophies from Canada, even though the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded hunting isn't a "substantial" threat to the bear population.

That's a blow to Inuit guides in Nunavut, who charge Americans up to $30,000 to shoot one of the animals.

The Nunavut government angrily denounced the decision, saying it disregards facts collected by those who have the greatest contact and longest history with polar bears.

"The truth is that polar bear populations are at near record levels," said Premier Paul Okalik.