There are thought to be between 20,000 and 25,000 polar bears in 19 population groups around the Arctic. Polar Bear Population Status in the Southern Beaufort Sea. Polar bear science has come a long way since then. Scientists say that the first polar bear of the season still takes their breath away, even after decades of working in the Arctic. Population Trends and Status by Subpopulation. The polar bear has been classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species since 1982. It's dangerous. It's cold. Even now, about half of our population estimates are only educated guesses. The new population estimates from the 2016 Scientific Working Group are somewhere between 22,633 to 32,257 bears, which is a net increase from the 2015 number of 22,000 to 31,000. Scott L. Schliebe Polar Bear Project Leader U.S. It's difficult. According to the WWF, 60 to 80 percent of the world's polar bears reside there, and it's the only country where the population of polar bears is actively declining. Are Polar Bears Endangered? Back then, the best we had over most of the polar bear's range were uneducated guesses. Hover over an area to get a summary of the population status, click to get a more in-depth report. What has been happening to polar bears in recent decades? From Chapter 10 of The Polar Bear Catastrophe That … See the graph below from my new book: Global polar bear population size estimates to 2018. Summary of polar bear population status per 2019 The present table has been developed during 2019, based on new criteria for status assessments . It was 2008, and the … George Durner, a research zoologist said, “Polar bears evolved to take advantage of an empty niche on the surface of the sea ice, which is key to their survival.” The 2005 record low spurred the United States Department of the Interior to ask for scientific projections of polar bear survival and population trends into the 21st century. Today, polar bear populations are facing threats previously unprecedented during recorded history in the Arctic. A population of polar bears in southern Hudson Bay that was previously considered stable has declined by 17 per cent in five years, new research has found. Population Studies. The IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group lists the polar bear as a vulnerable species, citing sea ice loss from climate change as the single biggest threat to their survival. Polar bears depend entirely on sea ice for survival. The fact is that in the 1960s we had no idea how many polar bears there were. See Polar Bear Population Status as table and clickable map (from the Polar Bear Specialist Group of the IUCN/SSC) See the latest Sea Ice Outlook Polar Bear Ongoings Why take population counts? But even with those practices in place, scientists are still worried about polar bear populations, particularly in Canada. Emigration: The movement of individuals (polar bears) out of an area where resources are low would decrease that population. A: The population of polar bears today is larger than it was in the 1970s, due mainly to legislation banning polar bear hunting, but exact numbers are unclear. A: The population of polar bears today is larger than it was in the 1970s, due mainly to legislation banning polar bear hunting, but exact numbers are unclear. Fish and Wildlife Service/MMM Anchorage, AK . I contend that an estimate of about 39,000 (range 26,000-58,000) at 2018 is not only plausible but scientifically defensible. ... as of 2017 only one population … The Inconvenient Truth About Polar Bears Zac Unger moved to Churchill, Manitoba, to cover the decline of the polar bear. And you won't find the job on craigslist—but what a thrill to work with wild polar bears. The NY Times has come up with a new defense against climate denialists who happen to point out that most polar bear populations are steady or increasing. Polar bear subpopulation boundaries, as of July 2015. If there is less fish, ice, and mates available polar bears can decide to leave their population and emigrate to another (therefore decreasing their original population size). In recent years, a warming climate has caused major changes in the Arctic sea ice environment, leading to concerns regarding the status of polar bear populations.