Abstract
The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is one of the largest bear species in the world and indeed an iconic species. It stands synonymous for the drastic effects of climate change on the Arctic environment and its almost hopeless battle against the impacts of humankind. In recent years, increasing horror stories about the polar bear have emerged in media discourse: the polar bears is on the brink of extinction; the polar bear is starving due to the effects of climate change; or the polar bear invades human settlements in search for food.
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Notes
- 1.
Meltofte (2013), p. 115.
- 2.
Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, 15 Nov 1973 (13 ILM 13).
- 3.
PBSG (2009).
- 4.
PBSG (1972a), Res#1-1972.
- 5.
PBSG (1972b), p. 14.
- 6.
PBSG (1972c) Res#4-1972.
- 7.
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 10 December 1982 (1833 UNTS 3).
- 8.
Polar Bear Agreement, article I.
- 9.
Polar Bear Agreement, article III (e).
- 10.
Constitution of the State of Alaska , 24 April 1956.
- 11.
See for example Polar Bear Agreement, article VI, VII, VIII.
- 12.
Convention on Biological Diversity , 5 June 1992 (1760 UNTS 79).
- 13.
Keskitalo (2004).
- 14.
Inuvialuit Final Agreement, 5 June 1984.
- 15.
Polar Bear Management Agreement for the Southern Beaufort Sea , 29 January 1988.
- 16.
Brower et al. (2002).
- 17.
Memorandum of Understanding between Environment and Climate Change Canada and the United States Department of the Interior for the Conservation and Management of Shared Polar Bear Populations, 2008 .
- 18.
Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Canada, the Government of Nunavut, and the Government of Greenland for the Conservation and Management of Polar Bear Populations , 31 October 2009.
- 19.
Ibid, Art 2.
- 20.
Agreement on the Conservation and Management of the Alaska-Chukotka Polar Bear Population , 16 October 2000.
- 21.
Ibid., Preamble.
- 22.
Ibid., Art VII.1.
- 23.
PBSB (undated).
- 24.
Scanlon (2013).
- 25.
Greenemaier (2008).
References
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Keskitalo ECH (2004) Negotiating the Arctic. The construction of an international region. Routledge, New York
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PBSG (1972a) Res#1-1972: Protection of polar bears on the high seas. http://pbsg.npolar.no/en/meetings/resolutions/03.html#1-1972. Accessed 8 May 2019
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Scanlon JE (2013) Keynote Address, International Forum on Conservation of Polar Bears and Jubilee Meeting of the Parties to the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, Moscow, Russian Federation, 4–6 December 2013, https://www.cites.org/eng/news/sg/2013/20131204_polar-bear.php. Accessed 16 May 2019
Further Reading
Larsen TS, Stirling I (2009) The agreement on the conservation of polar bears – its history and future. Norsk Polarinstitutt, Tromsø
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Sellheim, N. (2020). The International Legal Framework for Polar Bears. In: International Marine Mammal Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35268-4_7
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