Inuvik, 22 January 2010 — The decision by TRAFFIC, the international wildlife trade monitoring network, to reject the proposal by the USA Government to have polar bears listed as threatened with extinction under CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species) has been supported by the president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) Canada, Duane Smith.
Mr. Smith said TRAFFIC’s analysis of the polar bear’s situation was in line with ICC’s own findings. He said ICC recognized the need for ongoing and vigorous oversight of polar bear populations and their environment but to say that polar bears were threatened with extinction was wrong.
Polar bears are currently listed under CITES as species not necessarily threatened with extinction but where trade must be controlled to ensure the polar bear’s survival. The USA Government’s proposal would have the polar bear listed as a species threatened with extinction and trade would be permitted only in exceptional circumstances.
The USA Government’s proposal to CITES follows the May 2008 decision by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the polar bear as a threatened species. This led to a decision by the USA Government last year to propose a change in the polar bear status under CITES.
“ICC has argued strenuously with the USA Government that co-management bodies incorporating Inuit community bodies were more qualified to undertake the task of managing and overseeing polar bear populations.
“Collaboration with the Inuit, rather than excluding them, is the best way to address and mitigate the issues which are harming the polar bear,” he said.
Mr. Smith said that In the light of TRAFFIC’s conclusion, he hoped the USA Government would withdraw its proposal.
“They haven’t listened to us, the traditional and long-time overseers of polar bears and the people who know them best. Perhaps they’ll listen to TRAFFIC.”
He called on governments and scientists to respect Inuit knowledge of the polar bear, accumulated over many hundreds of years, and to include Inuit in their polar bear research to complement western science findings.
For more information, contact Chester Reimer at ICC Canada +1 613 563 2642