Polar bears were listed on the Species at Risk Act in 2011.
On June 27th, the Northwest Territories Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) released the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Polar Bear Joint Management Plan and the Framework for Action for Management of Polar Bears in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.
The documents were released by Environment and Natural Resources Minister Robert C. McLeod, acting on behalf of the CMA.
The release of the documents comes after an agreement by the CMA to adopt both documents and fulfills responsibilities under the NWT’s Species at Risk Act to complete a management plan for polar bears in the territory.
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McLeod says the documents are a great start to restoring the polar bears numbers:
“Management of polar bears in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region is complex and [this] will help facilitate an integrated and common approach to polar bear management across all jurisdictions, including Nunavut and Yukon, by outlining recommended areas where further action should be taken.”
The CMA now has until March 27, 2018 to develop a consensus agreement on the implementation of the newly released documents.
