Description
New research highlights the beary important role polar bears can play in protecting the Arctic's marine biodiversity. A collaborative study from the University of Alberta and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance found that polar bears can serve as an umbrella species, meaning that safeguarding their habitat would also help conserve the broader web of life in western Hudson Bay.
While it can be hard to determine where marine life gathers, long-term polar bear movement data provides snow much critical insight into where biodiversity is concentrated, helping establish more accurate boundaries for Marine Protected Areas. Using two decades of tracking data from over three-hundred polar bears, Alliance researchers and collaborators identified a high-use area for polar bears near Cape Churchill, Manitoba, making it a strong candidate for future marine protection.
As efforts move forward to establish a new protected area in western Hudson Bay, these findings can help turn the tide for conservation planning that safeguards not only these polar pals, but the many Arctic species that depend on this habitat.
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