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Meet on polar bears

A Polar Bear and a cub

STOCKHOLM: An international meeting will be held in Tromsoe, Norway, in 2009 to discuss the ecological threat to polar bears in the Arctic region, according to reports reaching here on Friday.

The contracting parties to the 1973 Polar Bear Agreement — Norway, Denmark/Greenland, Russia, the United States and Canada — will be present at the meeting, which is aimed at enhancing circumpolar cooperation on management of the polar bear population and establishing more efficient conservation measures, Norwegian broadcaster NRK reported.

Climate change and increased industrial activity in many parts of the Arctic require reinforced international cooperation on the management of polar bears, Erik Solheim, Norwegian Environment and International Development Minister, said in a statement.

The polar bear range states signed an agreement in 1973 to protect polar bears and their habitat after widespread hunting reduced its population. — Xinhua

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