More than 187,000 square miles along the north coast of Alaska were designated today as "critical habitat" for the polar bear as a result of a partial settlement in an ongoing lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Greenpeace against the Department of the Interior. This designation under the Endangered Species Act is intended to safeguard those coastal lands and waters under U.S. jurisdiction that are vital to the polar bears' survival and recovery. "The critical habitat designation clearly identifies the areas that need to be protected if the polar bear is to survive in a rapidly melting Arctic". Federal agencies are prohibited from taking any actions that may harm or damage critical habitat. Species that have critical habitat designated are more than twice as likely to be recovering, and less than half as likely to be declining, as those without it. "Polar bears are slipping away" said Andrew Wetzler, Director of NRDC's Land and Wildlife Program "but we know that there are crucial protections that can keep them around. Today's designation is a start, especially in warding off ill-considered oil and gas development in America's most important polar bear habitat."
As with other species, it is really great to see laws passed to be able to protect these endangered animals. There is still the question of wether to allow oil companies to drill for oil in this newly designated critical habitat and I really hope that they don't, and that they consider this area as an area that shouldn't be touched by man and should be left just for the polar bears recovery.
Link to site: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2010/polar-bear-11-24-2010.html
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