Placing Bets on Survival
The Polar bear has an official status of Vulnerable according to the IUCN red List of Endangered Species.
You would like to think that was enough for them to get serious attention, to keep them from becoming endangered, or worse. But with so many species on our planet now classed as vulnerable or endangered it really isn’t enough. Of course it is inevitable that we prioritise effort on those in most need. Resources are not finite. Having a credible reference for making these tough decisions is vital — those investing in preserving the biodiversity of our planet need the confidence of knowing that they are making the right investments.
Scientific Research plays an obvious key role in this — objective, rigorous research into all of the dynamics that influence the future survival of a species.
However research takes time and effort and in most cases those dedicated to this effort — with the capabilities and passion to get to the root causes — can rarely afford to undertake the research they so desperately want to do. As someone very dear to me said recently — of course we are committed, but we also have to live!
People like Courtney have a huge amount to offer in the case of the Polar Bear. Her last programme — undertaken for her PhD — revealed some fascinating and highly valuable insights into the silent world of mammals. Scientifically referred to as Olfactory Communication, for novices like me it means communication via scent. Her work uncovered a complex world — the silent, non human equivalent of Facebook — social networks that thrive through the sense of smell. When we discover what makes up the scent and what effect the different compounds have on communication we uncover significant behavioural traits of the animal in question.
Back to the Polar Bear
Many of us no doubt have seen that harrowing picture of an emaciated bear on the verge of death by starvation. And that picture was used powerfully to shine a light on the impact of climate change for the Polar Bear, an animal that unquestionably depends on those ice flows. It’s this issue that has presumably helped to get the animal declared Vulnerable.
What what is that was not the only challenge?
Like the White Rhino — the previous subject of the study of Olfactory Communication — the Polar Bear also depends heavily on scent. They use it to find food and to find mates. The chemical signals in scent have their own set of dynamics — they way they react with the environment being the significant one here. As temperatures continue to rise the longevity of the scent diminishes. And while nature is amazing in its ability to adapt and evolve, there simply may not be enough time for the Polar Bear to adjust to its new environment.
That argues for the Polar Bears critical status to be raised — or at least for the IUCN to be better armed with the facts to make that judgement.
This all needs proving, it’s a powerful thesis but the research has to be done. This is research that has backing in principle and great potential for collaboration. Even now connections are being made and tentative steps taken
Everything comes down to money, yet in the grand scheme of things the price to gather vital research is not that huge. £25,000 would go a long way towards make it possible. In the grand scheme of things this is not the most expensive research project every put forward. The value however — especially as it builds on existing, highly praised research — is significant. And not just for the Polar Bear. It deserves to be extended and for us to learn as much as we can about the threats, the causes and the implications.
How else are we going to protect the future of so much of this planet?
If anyone knows of an organisation that would like to sponsor Courtney’s work I’d be delighted to make the connection. Feel free to get in touch: hazel@grouppartners.net
