SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN BACHELOR OF QUANTITY

SURVERYING (HONOURS)

BIODIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

UCM60203U3

GROUP MEMBERS :

KOK KA SHING 0323553

YEONG POH LING 0323590

CHIANG LIN CHEW 0322923

ZACHARY OOI CHENG EN 0323120

POLAR BEAR

• Nature of Animal : Solitary except

mating and play-fighting

• Diet : Flexible but mostly Ringed

and Bearded seals

• Size : 2-4 meters / 350-700 kg

• Life Span : 20-25 years

• Reproduction : Polygynous mating

system

Scientific Classification

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Suborder: Caniformia

Family: Ursidae

Genus: Ursus

Species: Ursus maritimus

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT • Polar bears are native to the Arctic

Circle.

• Their distribution is mostly centred in

the Arctic but a small population can

be found in James Bay, Canada.

• Their habitat are areas where sea

ice covering the waters over

the continental shelf known as “The

Arctic Ring of Life”

THREATS• Loss of sea ice habitat due to global

warming.

• Industrial development in the Arctic.

• Unsustainable hunting in few places.

ORIGINAL CONDITION

CURRENT CONDITION• Sea ice is projected to disappear in the summer within a

generation.

• Migration following the movements of the ice pack.

• Move onto land for summer and disperse over ice for the

winter.

• IUCN added the polar bear to its Red List of the world’s

most imperiled animals.

• Found throughout the circumpolar Arctic.

• Live majority of their lives on sea ice.

• Provides to hunt, live, breed and in some cases

create maternal dens.

POPULATION OF POLAR BEAR• World Polar Bear - 20,000 to

25,000

• Ratio of males to females is

approximately 1:1

• Currently : May not have

increased

• More recently : Declining

CONSERVATION STATUS• Polar Bears are currently protected under

CITES Appendix II, which allows regulated

international commercial trade.

• At their 2014 meeting, the IUCN Polar Bear

Specialist Group reported that of the 19

subpopulation of polar bears

Are Declining Are Stable

Is Increasing Are Data Deficient

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF POLAR BEAR

• Polar bear genes could provide clues to help humans deal with health problems

caused by high-fat diets.

• Individuals are willing to pay a premium to hunt or view the polar bear.

• Fur is used to make trousers and outer footwear.

• The heart is dried and powdered for medicinal purpose.

• The fat is used in food and as a fuel for lighting homes

ECOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF POLAR BEAR

• A keystone species in the biologically rich Arctic.

• An apex predator within it’s range.

• Important indicator of the Arctic ecosystem health.

• Regulates density and reproductive success of Ringed

seals.

CONSERVATION EFFORT TO SAVE POLAR BEAR

• Create Safer Communities

Keeping polar bears separate from people

is better for both.

WWF has responded with a variety of

locally-led initiatives to help reduce conflict.

Russia, Canada, and Greenland, WWF

supported polar bear patrols deter

bears before they get into populated areas.

• Protecting Critical Habitat WWF recognizes the urgency of protecting habitat for polar bears Not all Arctic areas are created equal for polar bears

• Reducing Industrial Activity WWF accepts that it is unreasonable to designate the whole Arctic as a place

of no industrial activity. WWF’s goal is to ensure that whatever development takes place do not

damage wildlife ecosystems.

THE END