Alaska Coast Declared Critical Polar Bear Habitat

Photo: flickrfavorites, Flickr, CC

In Alaska, over 187,000 square miles, or 120 million acres, have been designated 'critical polar bear habitat' under the Endangered Species Act. The designation resulted as part of a settlement in the ongoing lawsuit brought against the US Department of the Interior by some of the most powerful conservation groups in the country. The lawsuit aims to protect the polar bear by having it listed as 'endangered' as opposed to 'threatened'. Here's what the news means for polar bears:

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