26.07.2024

Technological breakthrough gives hope for polar bear conservation

Scientists have developed a new way to track polar bears, and it could help them better understand how the animals are coping with disappearing sea ice. Sticky GPS tracking tags will help researchers fill gaps in their knowledge of polar bear behavior or movement like never before, reports Euronews.

The breakthrough comes after much recent research has highlighted the danger these animals face from climate change. Two important groups of polar bears in Canada's Hudson Bay face local extinction if global temperatures continue to rise, according to a report published last month.

"It is incumbent upon us to understand the coming impacts of human-induced climate change on our natural world so that we can make science-informed policy decisions," lead author Professor Julien Stroev of the University of Manitoba said when the analysis was released a month ago .

As climate change threatens the survival of polar bears, new tracking technology could open the door to previously hard-to-collect data essential to the animals' conservation.

Why is there a need for better ways to track polar bears?

Efforts to develop less invasive ways to track polar bears have been underway for years with varying degrees of success. For a long time, satellite images were the main method used by scientists to study animal behavior and their adaptation to the effects of climate change.

"Most of what we know about polar bear habitat - what type of habitat they prefer, such as sea ice versus land - and behavior is based on adult female bears because the collars used to track their movements cannot be used safely on adult males," says Tyler Ross, lead author of a brand new technology tracking study and researcher at the University of York.

Collars are dropped by adult males due to their cone-shaped heads and necks. Young bears grow too fast for collars to be used safely. This means that little is known about young and adult male bears, especially during the time they spend on the sea ice, when it is not practical to observe them directly. The limited evidence researchers have suggests their behavior is different from that of older women.

"These markers will help further our understanding of these differences, leading to a more complete picture of polar bear ecology and how the species is responding to a changing environment," Ross added.

The new methodology gives scientists a tool to critically examine this vulnerable species – and to manage potentially deadly interactions with humans.

Tracking labels were developed by the creators of Post-It notes

Tracking tags allow scientists to follow polar bears even when they are far out on the sea ice or wandering in the 24-hour darkness of the Arctic winter. As technology has improved, basic GPS tags have become much smaller, creating new opportunities for exploration.

Currently, ear tags must be permanently attached, and implants require minor surgery to place under the skin. But three prototypes recently tested on wild polar bears along Canada's Hudson Bay coast could provide a less invasive option.

The new adhesive fur tags were developed as part of the Burr on Fur initiative, which began as a challenge from Polar Bears International and 3M, the global science and manufacturing company that created the Post-It notes.

The trackers are non-toxic, non-damaging to the skin and resistant to extreme environmental stresses such as cold, snow and salt water. Designed to have minimal impact on these animals, the tags could theoretically remain on the bears for up to 12 months. The best performing versions of the current prototypes stayed on for a maximum of 114 days.

Managing human-polar bear interactions with climate warming

As the technology improves, researchers say it will be useful for studying polar bear behavior during particularly important times of the year. This includes the transition periods when they move between land and sea ice or when they come particularly close to populated areas. These are extremely important data in the changing Arctic.

"On average, sea ice is melting faster than ever before. The Arctic is warming up to four times faster than the rest of the world. Sea ice is vital to the survival of polar bears, and global warming is forcing groups in the southern reaches of their range to spend ever longer periods ashore. As Arctic sea ice continues to shrink in both duration and extent, polar bears will be forced to stay ashore for longer periods, increasing the likelihood of encountering humans. Currently, in some places in the southern Canadian Arctic, polar bears that wander too close to settlements are sometimes captured, transported and released far from human communities, a practice designed to protect both people and bears. Temporary tags can be attached to these relocated polar bears, providing conservation staff with near-real-time information on the animals' whereabouts, allowing them to take proactive measures to mitigate or prevent future human-bear encounters," explains Ross.