This week the survival status of polar bears was brought to federal courts in order to decide what type of protections should be granted to the species. Previously polar bears were considered threatened which meant that some significant protections were being provided and the federal judge overseeing the hearing decided this week that the protection should continue and as a result extended the threatened status.

According to the judge the primary reason for polar bears being listed as threatened is the quickly disappearing ecosystems which the polar bears live in. Because of the speed at which the ice is melting in many areas polar bears are struggling to adapt or survive and are being granted some special protections by the government in order to help them survive in some way.

The exact details of what protections are offered are somewhat difficult to understand though the basis is that environmental damage is restricted in areas with polar bear populations. Some polar bear activists hoped that they would be upgraded to endangered in order to create even stricter environmental rules in the area but for now they are happy to see that the threatened status has been retained. The current policy for polar bear protection does explicitly state that certain power plants and other planned improvements cannot be stopped but otherwise environmental activists are hopeful that the polar bear’s current state of protection will eventually help to prevent further damage to various areas in which they often reside.

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