Drs Todd Atwood and Evan Richardson were recently elected (19 December 2025) as Co-Chairs of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) for the upcoming 2026-2029 IUCN quadrennial cycle. The PBSG is part of the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s science-based network of species-specific groups of volunteer experts. PBSG members...

Proceedings Now Available Online: The Proceedings of the 20th Working Meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, Seattle, June 2024 are now available for download from the PBSG. The Proceedings are a summary of the PBSG’s review and discussion of the current science informing the status of the world’s polar bear...

The PBSG is releasing resolutions passed at the Group’s 20th Working Meeting (held in Seattle, WA in June 2024) in advance of the publication of the Proceedings, which are expected sometime in late 2025. The fifth and final resolution is on the importance of international scientific collaboration. As polar bears have a circumpolar...

The PBSG is releasing resolutions passed at the Group’s 20th Working Meeting (held in Seattle, WA in June 2024) in advance of the publication of the Proceedings, which are expected sometime in late 2025. The fourth resolution is in reference to the international trade of polar bears. The PBSG discussed the current status of the...

The PBSG is releasing resolutions passed at the Group’s 20th Working Meeting (held in Seattle, WA in June 2024) in advance of the publication of the Proceedings, which are expected sometime in late 2025. The third resolution is in reference to a new subpopulation of polar bears in Southeast Greenland. The PBSG formally recognized...

The PBSG is releasing resolutions passed at the Group’s 20th Working Meeting (held in Seattle, WA in June 2024) in advance of the publication of the Proceedings, which are expected sometime in late 2025. The second resolution is in reference to the importance of satellite telemetry in polar bear management and conservation. The PBSG...

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are legally harvested for subsistence (i.e., nutritional, cultural, and economic) purposes by Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Greenland, and the United States. As sea-ice loss due to climate warming continues, ensuring that subsistence harvest remains sustainable is a primary conservation priority. This paper,...

The PBSG is releasing resolutions passed at the Group’s 20th Working Meeting (held in Seattle, WA in June 2024) in advance of the publication of the Proceedings, which are expected sometime in late 2025. The first resolution is in reference to a change in harvest management in Nunavut, Canada that has conservation implications. In...

Following the recent recognition of Southeast Greenland (SE) as a new subpopulation, the PBSG Status Table and Status Narratives were updated. The SE subpopulation was recognized by the Government of Greenland in 2023 and by the PBSG at its 20th working meeting in June 2024. Click here to view the latest status table....

The 20th working meeting of the IUCN/SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) was held at the School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, 10-14 June 2024. The PBSG met to review and discuss current science informing the status of the world’s polar bear subpopulations. New scientific information...