Polar bears have been listed as a threatened species, and they need conservation help. Arctic Ambassadors is a conservation program established by the San Diego Zoo and Polar Bears International to further efforts to protect polar bears in their native habitat. The program includes some of the world’s top leaders in polar bear education, research, and husbandry and involves zoos as educators and conservation partners.

"As climate change impacts the extent of Arctic ice, more research and education are needed to protect polar bear populations,” said Ron Swaisgood, Ph.D., head of Applied Animal Ecology at the San Diego Zoo. “By partnering with Polar Bears International, the San Diego Zoo has a unique opportunity to assist in polar bear conservation by focusing on questions that are best addressed in zoos and will have useful application both here and in the wild."

"Under the guidance of this program, zoos throughout the world will help educate and inspire millions of people by establishing Arctic Ambassador Centers,” said Robert Buchanan, Polar Bears International president. “PBI and the San Diego Zoo will work together to build an extensive network of Arctic Ambassadors to become champions for this sentinel species by inspiring, informing, and empowering change."

The Arctic Ambassadors program encompasses a variety of polar bear conservation efforts, including:

• A study on the polar bear’s hearing sensitivity, to help determine the impact of human-generated noise, such as oil drilling, on this species
• PBI’s Polar Population Project (Tri-P), which establishes census counts, tracks polar bear movement, and determines locations where the bears might survive climate change
• Research on poorly understood aspects of polar bear reproduction, mother-cub behavior, and cub development, as well as how these systems are impacted by humans and a changing environment
• Leadership in polar bear husbandry, such as behavior, nutrition, and veterinary care
• Education initiatives such as PBI’s Leadership Camp in Churchill, arctic distant learning and interactive education, a teaching curriculum, polar bear tours with scientists, an interpretive center, and a Web-based education center