Polar Bear Circumpolar Action Plan Scorecard 2018

The WWF Polar Bear CAP Scorecard evaluates the initial implementation of the Circumpolar Action Plan from 2015 to 2017. It finds that while individual Range States have made progress in areas like population surveys and trade monitoring, overall progress is slow, with only 5% of total CAP actions completed. The report highlights significant gaps in joint circumpolar collaboration, transparency, and the integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge, while urging a more strategic approach to address the primary threat of climate-driven sea ice loss.

• Overall implementation of the Circumpolar Action Plan (CAP) is significantly behind schedule, with only 3 out of 62 total actions completed by 2017, representing a 5% completion rate.
• Range States have struggled with joint circumpolar collaboration compared to individual national efforts, achieving only 55% of joint actions between 2015 and 2017.
• The Range States failed to complete their communications strategy intended to raise global awareness about the link between greenhouse gas emissions and the threat of sea ice loss for polar bears.
• Population monitoring has seen high implementation rates, with 9 out of 11 scheduled subpopulation surveys conducted on time, though funding remains inadequate in Canada and Russia.
• Progress on managing human-polar bear conflict is incomplete; specifically, a planned circumpolar report on conflict hotspots and strategies was not produced.
• The Range States have made promising progress in regulating international trade, with most states adopting agreed terms, units, and reporting methods for CITES.
• The integration of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is limited, with only Canada and Greenland scheduling TEK studies, while Russia and the United States included none in their schedules.
• Transparency and public access to information are major weaknesses, characterized by a lack of a permanent website and restricted access to documents, particularly regarding Greenland.
• The Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) failed to complete nearly half of its assigned work, including delays in improving population study designs and assigning subpopulation trends.

APA

M., L., S., K., B., L., K., H., N., B., & M., S. (2018). Polar Bear Circumpolar Action Plan Scorecard 2018. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/675/4tnj0n1j8i_polar_bear_scorecard_small_1.pdf

Chicago

M., Lancaster,, Klenzendorf, S., Laforest B., Hansen, K., Boisen, N., and Stishov, M. Polar Bear Circumpolar Action Plan Scorecard 2018. WWF International, 2018. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/675/4tnj0n1j8i_polar_bear_scorecard_small_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=M. |first1=Lancaster, |last2=S. |first2=Klenzendorf, |last3=B. |first3=Laforest |last4=K. |first4=Hansen, |last5=N. |first5=Boisen, |last6=M. |first6=Stishov, |title=Polar Bear Circumpolar Action Plan Scorecard 2018 |publisher=WWF International |date=January 2018 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/675/4tnj0n1j8i_polar_bear_scorecard_small_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{m2018polar, author = {M., Lancaster, and S., Klenzendorf, and B., Laforest and K., Hansen, and N., Boisen, and M., Stishov,}, title = {{Polar Bear Circumpolar Action Plan Scorecard 2018}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2018}, month = jan, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/675/4tnj0n1j8i_polar_bear_scorecard_small_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }