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Polar bear listed as threatened species
Kempthorne said he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act.
Officials said scientific evidence shows the ongoing loss of sea ice threatens, and will likely continue to threaten, polar bear habitat. The loss of habitat, officials said, puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established for designating a threatened species.
"I am also announcing that this listing decision will be accompanied by administrative guidance and a rule that defines the scope of impact my decision will have, in order to protect the polar bear while limiting the unintended harm to the society and economy of the United States," Kempthorne said.
He said his decision was based on three findings.
"First, sea ice is vital to polar bear survival. Second, the polar bear's sea-ice habitat has dramatically melted in recent decades. Third, computer models suggest sea ice is likely to further recede in the future."
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 05/14/2008
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Posted Comments:
05-16-2008 19:38
Donald E Guest wrote:
Polar Bear listed as threatened
We have heard other factors thru other studies that are just as important if not more important to the threat of the polar bear and the inhabitants of the northern regions and one is the mercury poisioning they get from fish they consume as well as the inuit inhabitants of the north are found suffering similar health issues so it is just not a case of a reducing polar ice but the food chain as well and one would think the food chain issue would far out weigh the melting issue even though that too is important but can be attributed to the global warming factor that is an ongoing problem but the food chain issue makes two types of life endangered far more than the melting ice and should be considered as well as not just the polar bear would benifit but the inuit people as well that really upon the same food system as the polar bear
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