‘Less ice means more conflicts with polar bears’ narrative not supported by scientific evidence
Posted on April 19, 2023 | Comments Offon ‘Less ice means more conflicts with polar bears’ narrative not supported by scientific evidence
In another failed prediction, a new study on the number of polar bears killed in self-defense in Svalbard, Norway did not find the expected correlation with lack of sea ice or more tourists (Vongraven et al. 2023). Contrary to expectations, fewer bears were actually killed in self-defence as sea ice declined between 1987 and 2019.
Money Quote from the abstract:
“…ice cover had no significant impact on the odds for a [polar bear] kill.”
It seems the warning from polar bear specialist Andrew Derocher a few months ago was just plain wrong:
“Poor ice conditions for polar bears at Svalbard this year. Low ice will make tough hunting conditions this coming spring. Time to plan for more human-bear conflicts unless conditions change.” [13 Feb 2023 tweet, my bold]
https://polarbearscience.com/2023/04/19/less-ice-means-more-conflicts-with-polar-bears-narrative-not-supported-by-scientific-evidence/
