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The polar bears living along the Hudson Bay coastline of Manitoba are probably the most famous of their kind in the world - a major eco-tourist attraction and the subject of intense scientific scrutiny.
But the Manitoba government has concluded that the large carnivores are in trouble, victims of global warming.
The province yesterday decided to recognize the bears as threatened under its Endangered Species Act, a designation indicating that the animals, while not in immediate danger of extinction, face a difficult future.
Both Ontario and Newfoundland have taken similar action, and the step by Manitoba places additional pressure on the federal government to list the polar bears under a review expected to be conducted this spring. The U.S. government is also considering the polar bears in Alaska for listing under its endangered species law.
"We must continue to take action to protect one of our province's most unique species, which is clearly being affected by climate change," provincial Conservation Minister Stan Struthers said in a statement. "Dramatic climate changes to polar bear habitat continue to be researched and documented by scientists from around the world here in Manitoba."
There are about 925 of the bears in the province, but the population is estimated to have declined by 22 per cent from 1989 to 2004.
Environmentalists, who have been using the plight of polar bears as a reason for taking action against emissions blamed for global warming, welcomed the listing. Rachel Plotkin, a spokeswoman for the David Suzuki Foundation, said she was delighted by the move and expects Ottawa to take similar action later this year.
Researchers have noted that the bears in Manitoba have been losing weight, becoming less hardy and experiencing reduced survival in their cubs. One estimate suggests that by as early as 2012, if the weight-loss trend continues, most females in the population will be below the minimum threshold needed for successful reproduction.
The main problem facing the bears is that the sea ice on which they hunt seals is melting, cutting the amount of available food. The spring breakup has been occurring earlier in recent years, resulting in a longer ice-free period on Hudson Bay, and increasing the amount of time during which they must depend on body fat gained through winter foraging.
Declaring the polar bear a threatened species will give the province the ability to restrict development near critical habitat along the Hudson Bay coastline on both Crown and privately owned land.
