This is the second time the U.S. has tried to get a ban on the international trade of polar bear parts. The effect of such a move, if adopted by the 176-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora when it meets in March, would be to prohibit the sale of polar bear furs, claws, teeth and other body parts outside of Canada. Under the U.S. proposal, any international movement of polar bears, their parts and products would require permits from both the exporting country — certifying that the export was not detrimental to the survival of the species — and the importing country. Though there are still up to 25,000 polar bears around the world, many of their populations are threatened and their numbers in many places are diminishing, the statement said. The decision has been hard-fought by Canada, which has some of the world’s healthiest polar bear populations. “Everybody knows that polar bears are threatened by climate change, but few people realize that the second-biggest threat to the species is commercial trade,” said Andrew Wetzler of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of several conservation groups that have pushed for a trade ban.
– Polar bears apparently have more to worry about than sea ice. The US thinks too many are being hunted in Canada and will push for an international ban on the trade of polar bear pelts, claws, teeth, and other body parts, reports the Los Angeles Times. If the US convinces the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species to go along at its next meeting in March, polar bear skins would be as protected as elephant ivory. By most estimates, up to 25,000 polar bears exist in the world, and two-thirds of those are in Canada. Native Inuits would still be allowed to hunt the bears, but they would no longer be able to sell on the international market. They promise to fight the move, reports the CBC. "The polar bear population is very healthy right now and traditional knowledge says that the numbers are increasing,” says one rep. The US tried and failed a few years ago to get the designation in place, but it might have a better shot this time because Russia is on board.