Community conservation: human-polar bear conflict management

Date/time: December 4, 13:00-14:30

Room: Utsikten

Session organizer: Femke Koopmans, WWF Netherlands and Gert Polet, WWF Netherlands

In this session several presentations will discuss the status of polar bears and human-polar bear conflict reduction projects in Arctic communities. The session will end with a panel discussion in which the roles of local communities, national and regional government authorities and institutions, universities and NGOs in human-polar bear conflict reduction will be explored. This includes new approaches and technology, the importance of strong regional and national mechanisms, and transboundary cooperation.

• Femke Koopmans, WWF Netherlands:  Community based human-polar bear conflict management
• Geoff York, Polar Bears International:  Global status and trends: it's not black and white
• Eric Regehr, Range States' Human-Polar Bear Conflict Working Group:  Polar Bear-Human Information Management System
• Rascha Nuijten, Radboud University Nijmegan:  Relative importance of the multiple stressors faced by polar bears
• Panel discussion questions

Session theme: Mainstreaming biodiversity: linking Arctic ecosystems to society