Ontario Issues Provincial "Threatened" Status For Polar Bears Within Its Borders - Star

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Polar bear populations in Ontario's north are on the decline, turning cautious concern for the animal's survival into planned action. The Ontario government is changing the classification of the polar bear population from special concern to threatened species to ensure a greater protection of the bears.

"Once this (classification) happens, we need to create habitat regulation for the polar bear and a recovery strategy will need to be prepared by 2011," said Ivan Langrish, a communication's director for the Minister of Natural Resources. The Minister of Natural Resources Donna Cansfield said melting ice and low survival rates are some of the reasons why the population has been waning over the past several years.

Cansfield acknowledged the polar bear decline is a global issue caused, in part, by climate change. But she said there were measures the province could take to protect the bears.

"Because it is a climate change adaptation issue we can look at what our behaviour does here in Southern Ontario that is impacting what occurs in other parts of the world," said Cansfield. "If we don't do something to protect them, we have a lot of work ahead of us in the next few years."

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http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/680153