Arctic
Rich in wildlife
Featured Story
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Experience the Arctic
Hear WWF's President & CEO talk about polar bears in the Arctic. Read more
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Teeming With Life
Find out what’s it’s like to work in the Arctic. Read more
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Tracking Polar Bears
Meet Izzy, a female polar bear monitored through a satellite collar. Read more
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Up Close and Personal
A once-in-a-lifetime whale encounter illustrates urgent need to keep waters healthy. Read more
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Bristol Bay, An Economic Engine for Alaska
Bristol Bay, referred to as America’s Fish Basket, is an economic engine for Alaska. Read more
Latest News
The Arctic is teeming with wildlife and covers eight countries, including the United States.
Diverse landscapes – from the sea ice to coastal wetlands, upland tundra, mountains, wide rivers and the sea itself – support abundant wildlife and many cultures.
Of all of the wildlife in the Arctic, the polar bear is the most fitting icon for this region. Its amazing adaptation to life in the harsh Arctic environment makes it an impressive species.
Within the Arctic region of the United States, the remarkable waters of the Bering Sea attract marine mammals, such as gray whales, which travel great distances to forage and raise their young. Almost half of the fish caught in the United States comes from this sea. Its fisheries are vital to:
- local communities, whose livelihoods depend on fishing
- millions of people worldwide
Across the Bering Sea, in Russia, the Kamchatka Peninsula’s river systems produce up to one-quarter of all wild Pacific salmon. The salmon provide nourishment to other wildlife, including the Kamchatka brown bear.
All parts of the Arctic now face an uncertain future due to such threats as:
- overfishing
- climate change
- mining
- shipping
- oil and gas development
Among the approaches used by WWF to address these threats are:
- advocate for oil spill prevention, spill response and shipping safety measures as a precondition for offshore oil development
- reward sustainable fishing practices and combat illegal fishing
- support partnerships with biologists, Arctic communities and others to reduce stress on the region’s polar bears
Threats. Main threats to the Arctic include illegal and overfishing, noise and potential spills associated with offshore oil and gas exploration, and increasing temperatures which make it harder for wildlife to find food and areas to nest. Learn more
Species. From the tiniest plankton to the great Arctic icons, the polar bear and walrus, this region is teeming with wildlife. Fish, foxes, birds, whales, brown bears, reindeer and seals abound. Learn more
People. For thousands of years, indigenous people have been closely tied to the wildlife and habitats around the Arctic. Their rich traditions continue to be part of the human fabric of the region.
Meet the US Arctic Team! | Learn more about the Global WWF Arctic Team
Related Global Markets
Climate Change | Forests | Fishing | Aquaculture | Wildlife Trade
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An Amazing Arctic Journey
Watch the trailer for To the Arctic, a new IMAX® film chronicling a polar bear family's tale of survival.
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Adopt a Polar Bear
Make a symbolic polar bear adoption to help save some of the world's most endangered animals from extinction and support WWF’s conservation efforts.
