The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus)
Satellite telemetry (ST) has played a critical role in the management and conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) over the last 50 years. ST data provide biological information relevant to subpopulation delineation, movements, habitat use, maternal denning, health, human-bear interactions, and...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.816666/full |
| _version_ | 1818479784688091136 |
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| author | Kristin L. Laidre Kristin L. Laidre George M. Durner Nicholas J. Lunn Eric V. Regehr Todd C. Atwood Karyn D. Rode Jon Aars Heli Routti Øystein Wiig Markus Dyck Evan S. Richardson Stephen Atkinson Stanislav Belikov Ian Stirling Ian Stirling |
| author_facet | Kristin L. Laidre Kristin L. Laidre George M. Durner Nicholas J. Lunn Eric V. Regehr Todd C. Atwood Karyn D. Rode Jon Aars Heli Routti Øystein Wiig Markus Dyck Evan S. Richardson Stephen Atkinson Stanislav Belikov Ian Stirling Ian Stirling |
| author_sort | Kristin L. Laidre |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Satellite telemetry (ST) has played a critical role in the management and conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) over the last 50 years. ST data provide biological information relevant to subpopulation delineation, movements, habitat use, maternal denning, health, human-bear interactions, and accurate estimates of vital rates and abundance. Given that polar bears are distributed at low densities over vast and remote habitats, much of the information provided by ST data cannot be collected by other means. Obtaining ST data for polar bears requires chemical immobilization and application of a tracking device. Although immobilization has not been found to have negative effects beyond a several-day reduction in activity, over the last few decades opposition to immobilization and deployment of satellite-linked radio collars has resulted in a lack of current ST data in many of the 19 recognized polar bear subpopulations. Here, we review the uses of ST data for polar bears and evaluate its role in addressing 21st century conservation and management challenges, which include estimation of sustainable harvest rates, understanding the impacts of climate warming, delineating critical habitat, and assessing potential anthropogenic impacts from tourism, resource development and extraction. We found that in subpopulations where ST data have been consistently collected, information was available to estimate vital rates and subpopulation density, document the effects of sea-ice loss, and inform management related to subsistence harvest and regulatory requirements. In contrast, a lack of ST data in some subpopulations resulted in increased bias and uncertainty in ecological and demographic parameters, which has a range of negative consequences. As sea-ice loss due to climate warming continues, there is a greater need to monitor polar bear distribution, habitat use, abundance, and subpopulation connectivity. We conclude that continued collection of ST data will be critically important for polar bear management and conservation in the 21st century and that the benefits of immobilizing small numbers of individual polar bears in order to deploy ST devices significantly outweigh the risks. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T11:15:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fde3ce6fc5444e38d4ece1d91e013a0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T11:15:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fde3ce6fc5444e38d4ece1d91e013a02022-12-22T01:51:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452022-04-01910.3389/fmars.2022.816666816666The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus)Kristin L. Laidre0Kristin L. Laidre1George M. Durner2Nicholas J. Lunn3Eric V. Regehr4Todd C. Atwood5Karyn D. Rode6Jon Aars7Heli Routti8Øystein Wiig9Markus Dyck10Evan S. Richardson11Stephen Atkinson12Stanislav Belikov13Ian Stirling14Ian Stirling15Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesGreenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, GreenlandUnited States Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, United StatesEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaPolar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesUnited States Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, United StatesUnited States Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, AK, United StatesNorwegian Polar Institute, FRAM Centre, Tromsø, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute, FRAM Centre, Tromsø, NorwayNatural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, NorwayWildlife Research Section, Department of Environment, Government of Nunavut, Igloolik, NT, CanadaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaIndependent Researcher, Cooks Creek, MB, Canada0All-Russian Research Institute for Environment Protection, Moscow, RussiaEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, CanadaSatellite telemetry (ST) has played a critical role in the management and conservation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) over the last 50 years. ST data provide biological information relevant to subpopulation delineation, movements, habitat use, maternal denning, health, human-bear interactions, and accurate estimates of vital rates and abundance. Given that polar bears are distributed at low densities over vast and remote habitats, much of the information provided by ST data cannot be collected by other means. Obtaining ST data for polar bears requires chemical immobilization and application of a tracking device. Although immobilization has not been found to have negative effects beyond a several-day reduction in activity, over the last few decades opposition to immobilization and deployment of satellite-linked radio collars has resulted in a lack of current ST data in many of the 19 recognized polar bear subpopulations. Here, we review the uses of ST data for polar bears and evaluate its role in addressing 21st century conservation and management challenges, which include estimation of sustainable harvest rates, understanding the impacts of climate warming, delineating critical habitat, and assessing potential anthropogenic impacts from tourism, resource development and extraction. We found that in subpopulations where ST data have been consistently collected, information was available to estimate vital rates and subpopulation density, document the effects of sea-ice loss, and inform management related to subsistence harvest and regulatory requirements. In contrast, a lack of ST data in some subpopulations resulted in increased bias and uncertainty in ecological and demographic parameters, which has a range of negative consequences. As sea-ice loss due to climate warming continues, there is a greater need to monitor polar bear distribution, habitat use, abundance, and subpopulation connectivity. We conclude that continued collection of ST data will be critically important for polar bear management and conservation in the 21st century and that the benefits of immobilizing small numbers of individual polar bears in order to deploy ST devices significantly outweigh the risks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.816666/fullclimate changeconservationmovementspolar bearradio collarsatellite |
| spellingShingle | Kristin L. Laidre Kristin L. Laidre George M. Durner Nicholas J. Lunn Eric V. Regehr Todd C. Atwood Karyn D. Rode Jon Aars Heli Routti Øystein Wiig Markus Dyck Evan S. Richardson Stephen Atkinson Stanislav Belikov Ian Stirling Ian Stirling The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) Frontiers in Marine Science climate change conservation movements polar bear radio collar satellite |
| title | The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) |
| title_full | The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) |
| title_fullStr | The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) |
| title_short | The Role of Satellite Telemetry Data in 21st Century Conservation of Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus) |
| title_sort | role of satellite telemetry data in 21st century conservation of polar bears ursus maritimus |
| topic | climate change conservation movements polar bear radio collar satellite |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.816666/full |
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