Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay
In 1966, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (then Canadian Wildlife Service) initiated a research program on polar bears (Ursus maritimus, Phipps, 1774) belonging to the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation (WH). This paper provides an overview of that program, highlighting the long-term resea...
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| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Arctic Science |
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| Online Access: | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0056 |
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| author | B.A. Biddlecombe A.E. Derocher E. Krebs N.J. Lunn D. McGeachy E.S. Richardson |
| author_facet | B.A. Biddlecombe A.E. Derocher E. Krebs N.J. Lunn D. McGeachy E.S. Richardson |
| author_sort | B.A. Biddlecombe |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In 1966, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (then Canadian Wildlife Service) initiated a research program on polar bears (Ursus maritimus, Phipps, 1774) belonging to the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation (WH). This paper provides an overview of that program, highlighting the long-term research on WH polar bears with a focus on ECCC-led work. The WH research program, which has now extended across five decades with data on over 4600 individual bears, has evolved from a study of the basic ecology of polar bears into foundational work on the life history, demography, genetics, movement, behaviour, and ecology of an apex predator in a rapidly changing Arctic. Research on polar bears in Canada supports commitments under the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), and Canada’s Species at Risk Act (2002). Among Canada’s 13 polar bear subpopulations, only WH has sufficient long-term monitoring of individuals to assess demographic, behavioural, and life history consequences of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Future research should continue to ask key questions on how long-term environmental changes impact the ecology of polar bears. Integrating community priorities into the research program is necessary for it to continue to be successful in the future. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2ce4ea30d3f5422bb37f28bcfdb0f1c7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-2ce4ea30d3f5422bb37f28bcfdb0f1c72025-02-06T20:55:15ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602025-01-011111210.1139/as-2024-0056Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson BayB.A. Biddlecombe0A.E. Derocher1E. Krebs2N.J. Lunn3D. McGeachy4E.S. Richardson5Environment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, CanadaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, T6G 2E9, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Delta, BC V4K 3N2, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3C 1M8, CanadaIn 1966, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) (then Canadian Wildlife Service) initiated a research program on polar bears (Ursus maritimus, Phipps, 1774) belonging to the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation (WH). This paper provides an overview of that program, highlighting the long-term research on WH polar bears with a focus on ECCC-led work. The WH research program, which has now extended across five decades with data on over 4600 individual bears, has evolved from a study of the basic ecology of polar bears into foundational work on the life history, demography, genetics, movement, behaviour, and ecology of an apex predator in a rapidly changing Arctic. Research on polar bears in Canada supports commitments under the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears (1973), the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), and Canada’s Species at Risk Act (2002). Among Canada’s 13 polar bear subpopulations, only WH has sufficient long-term monitoring of individuals to assess demographic, behavioural, and life history consequences of climate change and other anthropogenic stressors. Future research should continue to ask key questions on how long-term environmental changes impact the ecology of polar bears. Integrating community priorities into the research program is necessary for it to continue to be successful in the future.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0056polar bearHudson Baylong-term researchlife historyArcticecology |
| spellingShingle | B.A. Biddlecombe A.E. Derocher E. Krebs N.J. Lunn D. McGeachy E.S. Richardson Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay Arctic Science polar bear Hudson Bay long-term research life history Arctic ecology |
| title | Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay |
| title_full | Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay |
| title_fullStr | Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay |
| title_full_unstemmed | Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay |
| title_short | Building the foundation for polar bear science: fifty years of research on polar bears in Western Hudson Bay |
| title_sort | building the foundation for polar bear science fifty years of research on polar bears in western hudson bay |
| topic | polar bear Hudson Bay long-term research life history Arctic ecology |
| url | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0056 |
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