Norway’s polar bear population lives in and around Svalbard
archipelago.
These bears are part of a population that lives in the Northern Barents
Region, including Russian territory east to Franz Josef Land.
In Svalbard, polar bears were hunted heavily in the period from the
late 1800s until 1973. In the 1920s more than 900 bears a year were
killed in Svalbard. Now they are completely protected since 1973 when
hunting was forbidden. Their population in Svalbard has rebounded
from a low of about 1,000 to roughly 3,000 bears.
Scientists are worried, however, about the effects of pollution and
climate change on the bears. PCB levels in the polar bears of Norway
and western Russia are two-and-a-half to seventeen times higher than
those in North American populations.
According to a report issued in November 2004 by the Arctic Council
and the International Arctic Science Committee, polar bears could
become extinct by the end of the century if present warming trends
continue in the Arctic.
Click
on the photos to enlarge - Photos taken in Svalbard
POLAR
BEARS
