2013 year of polar bears

ISTANBUL

The World Wild Foundation (WWF), the world’s leading conservation organization, has proclaimed 2013 the Year of the Polar Bear, according to the WWF website. “This is a key year for polar bears,” said Geoff York, WWF’s international expert on polar bears. “While polar bears and their Arctic home face a challenging future, we need to recognize and celebrate the conservation achievements to date.”

2013 marks the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, a concerted international measure to protect the species and its habitat. The bears stand on the brink of an uncertain future, says the website. Over the course of the year, WWF will support polar bear research projects around the Arctic and encourage firm conservation commitments at this autumn’s meeting.