What we accomplished for polar bears in 2025

Over the past year, we have made significant progress together on behalf of the world’s polar bears. Here are our Top 10 accomplishments from the past year, all made possible by your support and generosity.

1. Protecting Moms and Cubs

Denning is the most vulnerable time in a polar bear’s life. Thanks to your support, in 2025 we conducted the 9th year of our polar bear den study in Svalbard, Norway, where we deployed remote cameras at 3 den sites on snowy mountain slopes. We also published or funded two peer-reviewed studies that uncovered new insights into behaviour of mothers and cubs during the vulnerable period when cubs leave the den for the first time and raised concerns about polar bear moms and cubs of Canada’s Western Hudson Bay.

2. Human-Polar Bear Coexistence

Better waste management can go a long way towards keeping bears and people safe. Because of you, six large bear-proof waste bins are being installed around Churchill. We also worked with the town to install electric fencing around areas where polar bears gather, such as the town landfill. We hosted a second community exchange of representatives from three regions (Manitoba and Ontario, Canada and Svalbard, Norway) to share knowledge on polar bear safety, tourism and more. In addition, a study from former PBI team member Kt Miller explored Indigenous Knowledge of human-polar bear co-existence in Churchill, Manitoba, along with researchers representing Churchill’s Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Royal Roads University.

3. Global Education

We’re so grateful to share polar bears with the thousands of people who join us in the field. This year we welcomed over 8,000 visitors to our interpretive centres in Churchill, Manitoba and Svalbard, Norway — an increase of 25% over last year. We engaged with an additional 1,500 passengers aboard touring vessels around Svalbard, enabling visitors to bring the polar bear and climate story home, wherever they live. In addition to in-person outreach, we connected virtually with thousands of kids in classrooms through Connected North, Discovery Education’s Career connect, and our Tundra Connections Program. We also hosted two weeks of summer camp and a winter fun day in Churchill — completely free for local children. Visit our Education Center.

4. Groundbreaking Research

You made it possible for our scientists to publish or fund eight peer-reviewed papers this year that inform polar bear conservation, from discovering the peak feeding time for polar bears on spring sea ice, to modelling how polar bears respond to longer periods off the ice, to explaining the troubling decline in the Western Hudson Bay population. Learn more.

5. International Forums

You enabled a young Indigenous leader to attend the first Arctic Youth Conference and discuss the challenges and opportunities youth face in their home communities. Your support also enabled us to participate in a key meeting to set conservation priorities: the Arctic Circle Assembly. Thanks to you, we were a key organizer of the International Human-Bear Conflict Workshop. We were also proud to be accepted as a formal member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

6. Tech Innovations

Your generosity helped support three tech research projects this year. This included deploying our “Bear-dar” radar system for real-world use in the high Arctic to detect approaching bears, working with government and industry partners to determine next steps in improving tools for detecting polar bear dens under the snow, and supporting research into innovative deterrence tools. Learn more

7. Amplifying Our Reach

 We wrapped up the 20-year anniversary of the Arctic Ambassadors Network by evaluating its impact. We were thrilled to learn that our global network of zoos and aquariums who support polar bear conservation saw over 49 million visitors last year. Together, they held over 1 million conversations sharing the core story of polar bears and climate change last year, and engaged with over 31,000 youth through in person programming! In addition, over 400 Arctic educators and interpreters have joined our new Arctic Guide Network, which connects and supports these trusted messengers as they introduce visitors from all over the world to the bears and their unique ecosystem.

8. Advocating for polar bears

We asked the Canadian government to advance two potential protected areas, provided comment on Canada’s Polar Bear Management Plan,  and were honoured to host 14 Senators and one Member of Parliament at the Polar Bears International House in Churchill, Manitoba. In the U.S., we stood up for science with four policy comments on the Endangered Species Act, U.S. Department of Energy’s review of climate impacts, potential oil and gas expansion, and the importance of protecting critical polar bear denning habitat. On the international stage, research by our Director of Policy is directly helping the Polar Bear Range States review their progress and make plans for cooperation.

9. Arctic Inspiration

Thanks to you, we touched hearts and minds through our live Polar Bear, Northern Lights, and Beluga Cams in partnership with explore.org, highlighting the Arctic and its wildlife and inspiring people to care. In the past year, these windows into the Arctic received over one million views from around the world – and they continue to attract views on archived YouTube videos!  Support from generous donors allowed us to launch the all-electric EV Tundra Buggy One — a mobile research and broadcasting station that represents a bold leap forward for science, storytelling, and sustainability in the Arctic.Thanks to the generosity of our partner, explore.org, we launched a new boat, the Sea Canary. In addition to streaming live footage of the Churchill River belugas for a global audience from the boat, we’ve been collecting wonderful photos and footage of this special marine environment to inspire and inform.

10. Global Media Reach

In a world of misinformation, you helped us cut through the noise with accurate, science-based facts on polar bears, sea ice, and climate change — through our website, social media, outside publications and other outreach. In the past year, we were featured by nearly 1,500 unique media outlets, including Smithsonian Magazine, Discover, BBC Earth, ABC News, The Weather Network and CBS News.