Conflict
How northern communities are keeping polar bears and people safe from conflict
As Arctic sea ice thins and retreats, increasing numbers of polar bears are spending longer periods in the summer open-water season resting along Arctic coastlines.
Here, their powerful sense of smell attracts them to human waste, stored food, dog teams, and animal carcasses—bringing them into greater conflict with Arctic people.
As powerful predators, polar bears pose a major risk to human life and property. Throughout the polar bear’s range, attacks on humans and property continue to rise. In recent years, more than 20 direct attacks on humans have been reported within the polar bear’s range.
WWF is helping communities live safely alongside the Arctic’s top predator.
How we work
Food storage and waste management
We work with communities to improve waste management, safely store food for people and dogs, and to remove animal carcasses from towns©Elisabeth Kruger / WWF-US
Polar bear patrols
We fund training and salaries for local people who deter polar bears from villages and safeguard communities.©Elisabeth Kruger / WWF-US
Sharing knowledge across the Arctic
We organize workshops and exchange visits between Arctic communities facing polar bear conflict. For example, members of the Russian polar bear patrols traveled to Alaska with WWF’s support to help communities there launch their own patrols.©Elisabeth Kruger / WWF-US
Providing educational opportunities
We share information with local communities, scientists and commercial sectors (tourism, mineral extraction) on preventing conflicts and dealing with polar bears.©Margarita Petrenuk / WWF-Russia
Living side by side with polar bears
As climate change causes summer sea ice to dwindle in the Arctic, hungry polar bears increasingly come into conflict with local people.
Read moreShocking bears
One constant in the world of bears is that people and bears are increasingly getting in each other’s way.
Read moreRecommended reading
What WWF is doing for polar bears
WWF is working around the Arctic to secure a future for polar bears.
Arctic Climate Change
What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic. The Arctic is warming faster than any other region on Earth, and the world is already feeling the effects.