The total polar bear population is divided into 19 units or subpopulations. Of those, the latest data from the IUCN Polar Bear Specialist Group show that eight subpopulations are in decline and that there is a high estimated risk of future decline due to climate change.
Because of ongoing and potential loss of their sea ice habitat resulting from climate change, polar bears were listed as a threatened species in the US under the Endangered Species Act in May 2008.
The survival and the protection of the polar bear habitat are urgent issues for WWF.