Arctic
Conserving our Future Arctic
Warming twice as fast as the global average, the Arctic is melting. Wildlife like polar bears, whales and caribou – and the people who depend on them – are facing unprecedented challenges.
Untapped oil reserves, new shipping routes, and industrial fishing opportunities are fueling a global race to exploit the Arctic’s resources. Another path is possible, in which stewardship prevails, so that communities thrive and vulnerable species survive into the next century.
© Paul Nicklen / National Geographic Stock / WWF-Canada
Accounting for close to 40 percent of our country’s landmass and two-thirds of our coastline, the Arctic is a key part of what makes us Canadians. If we don’t act soon to get responsible rules and protections in place, the chance to secure responsible stewardship for this region could slip through our fingers.
Polar Bear Tracker
Follow radio-collared bears as they explore their sea-ice habitat in the Hudson Bay.
Canada is home to over a quarter of the world’s Arctic lands and waters. Over 70 percent of the world’s polar bears spend at least part of their lives in Canadian waters. Canadians have a special responsibility to the Arctic. The Canadian Arctic is administered by Inuit governments thanks to comprehensive land claim agreements signed in the last thirty years. Inuit communities still subsist on caribou, polar bear, musk oxen and ringed seals as they have for centuries.
© Kevin SCHAFER / WWF-Canon
© Kevin SCHAFER / WWF-Canon
Arctic blogs
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The frozen ocean: Oceans Day dispatch from the Arctic
In my visits to communities along the Beaufort Sea in Canada’s Western Arctic, I ...
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Managing change in the Arctic for people and for nature
Working towards a common goal – an Arctic that can be used for generations to come – ...
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Working together for a better Arctic future
Experts and decision-makers of all kinds come together at the Last Ice Area Workshop ...
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