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Sweeping scientific data under a polar bear skin rug: The IUCN and the proposed listing of polar bears under CITES Appendix I

Author

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  • Parsons, E.C.M.
  • Cornick, L.A.

Abstract

In 2008 the US Government listed the polar bear as "threatened" under the US Endangered Species Act, largely due to scientific analyses of climate change data and polar bear distribution conducted by the US Geological Survey (USGS), which projected a 2/3 reduction in the polar bear population within the next 40 years. In 2009 the US Government announced that it would submit a proposal to the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora to uplist polar bears from CITES Appendix II to Appendix I. A report produced by the IUCN/Traffic stated that this was not warranted. However, the IUCN/Traffic report did not consider the USGS data noted above. Ultimately the proposal for CITES uplisting failed. In this paper we examine the differences in the IUCN/Traffic report and the best available science, and conclude that listing polar bears under CITES Appendix I was scientifically warranted.

Suggested Citation

  • Parsons, E.C.M. & Cornick, L.A., 2011. "Sweeping scientific data under a polar bear skin rug: The IUCN and the proposed listing of polar bears under CITES Appendix I," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 729-731, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:marpol:v:35:y:2011:i:5:p:729-731
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