NPR-A provides habitat for polar bears and seals that depend on sea ice.

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NPR-A provides habitat for polar bears and seals that depend on sea ice for hunting, resting, and breeding. The Western Arctic includes coastal areas where polar bears hunt seals on sea ice and come ashore when ice melts. Ringed seals, bearded seals, and other ice-dependent species use NPR-A's marine environment. Climate change is rapidly reducing Arctic sea ice, forcing polar bears to spend more time on land where food is scarce. Oil drilling and spills would compound these climate stresses on already vulnerable species. The Endangered Species Act lists polar bears as threatened due to sea ice loss. Drilling infrastructure along the coast disrupts polar bear denning areas and increases human-wildlife conflicts. Brown bears also rely on NPR-A habitat for foraging and denning.

NPR-A provides habitat for polar bears and seals that depend on sea ice.

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