World Wildlife Fund's Gift Catalog - 2008-2009 - (Page 7) N O R T H The Arctic Depending on where you live, the effects of climate change may not be too obvious. But in the Arctic region, climate change can be seen and felt every day. For polar bears, thinning ice could mean a shorter hunting season, affecting their breeding and birth weights. Today, this frozen paradise teems with life, including 200 varieties of birds and 25 species of marine mammals in the Bering Sea alone. But if we don’t act quickly, some populations may drop to unsustainable levels. WWF is addressing the many challenges to wildlife conservation in the Arctic by forging unique partnerships among scientists, communities and conservation groups between Alaska and Russia. We’re harnessing our global presence in all the Arctic nations to make changes in management policy. We also work on the local level, with staff, projects and partners along the coasts of Russia and Alaska. Area: 4,700 square miles of land and sea Global threats: Global climate change, offshore oil and gas development, shipping, illegal and unsustainable fishing and mining Key wildlife: Polar bear, salmon, northern Right Whale, northern Fur Seal, seabirds (murres, kittiwakes, puffins and more) WWF solutions: A 10-year strategy to address direct threats to the Arctic: improving shipping safety, limiting offshore oil and gas development, initiating sustainable fishing practices, supporting science and efforts to increase resiliency in the ecosystem and communicating to the world the impacts of climate change. A M E R I C A Cackling Geese, Kamchatka Peninsula Kamchatka Adopt an Arctic Fox The arctic fox can survive and even thrive in the cold. Litters of up to 15 kits are born each spring. But they may not be able to survive the chemical pollution that is increasingly common in many parts of the region. As this region is transformed by global factors, endangered animals need our help even more. $100 CTAF WWF FIELD REPORT Tagging polar bears in Alaska LOCATION: Alaska, not far from the U.S.-Russian border. PROJECT: With technology and tenacity, and plenty of warm clothing, WWF field teams are helping lead critical studies of polar bears and their habitat. For 10 years we’ve been supporting research and conservation efforts in Norway, Canada and Russia. In 2007 we provided satellite collars and advanced tracking capability, to study the movements of polar bear in Russia. This year we provided helicopter time to observe the bears from above in their Alaskan habitat. RESULTS: The results of this study have offered the most comprehensive data yet assembled. We now know unequivocally that shrinking sea ice is directly affecting polar bears: reduced body condition, reduced cub survival, and lower numbers in the populations we’ve studied most closely. $50 $25 Great Idea! Your donation will be used in general support of WWF’s conservation efforts around the world. 7 http://www.worldwildlife.org/ogc/species_SKU.cfm?cqs=CTAF&sc=AWY0900WCN11
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