While the LME modules are the foundation common to all TDAs and SAPs, the LME approach is flexible enough to accommodate novel
and alternative country-driven programs. Consequently, success of EBM is measured in varying degrees and parameters. A crucial component of LMEs is the examination of linkages among coastal and marine zones to identify high priority areas of degradation and the root causes of problems. Fourteen arctic LMEs contain whole or parts of polar bear subpopulations and 3 LMEs contain marginal subpopulations and require confirmation of presence (see Fig. 1). Table 1 provides an overview of polar bear subpopulations in LMEs. Within the LMEs there are 20–25,000 polar bears in the combined jurisdictions of 5 Arctic nations: Canada, Russian Federation, Greenland, Norway, and USA. The distribution of polar bears is not uniform across these nations and has been divided into 19 subpopulations. Polar bears demonstrate habitat selection of specific ice, with preferences for sea ice over continental shelves. These preferences for stable land-fast ice are attributable to the availability of their primary prey, ringed seals (Pusa hispida), and shelter from adverse conditions. Of the 19 polar bear subpopulations, one is increasing, three are stable, eight are declining, and
seven are data deficient, with some polar bear subpopulations dependent on both
marine and terrestrial areas for their life histories.