Biologist estimate there are 20,000-25,000 wild ice bears in 19 separate populations in the Arctic. Under normal conditions they live 20 to 30 years. We may loose two-thirds of them if current trends in melting sea ice continue. A remnant has a chance to survive in Northwest Greenland and the extremities of the Canadian archipelago where favorable ice conditions may persist. So it is important that the great white bears are protected from increasing human exploitation of Arctic resources. Oil companies bid $2.6 billion for leases in the Chukchi Sea, habitat for bears, seals, walrus and seabirds. The lease sale was conducted by the Department of Interior before a decision was finally made to list the polar bear as a threatened species, and only after much public protest. Even the Marine Fisheries Service recommended that the Chukchi Sea be removed from the five year plan for exploiting the continental shelf. It is one of the world's most productive marine ecosystems. The department estimates that oil development will result in a 40% chance of a major oil spill and numerous small ones.
Local residents conducting the Umky patrols also collect valuable scientific data that can be used to better understand the condition of bears in the region. Polar bears depend almost entirely on ice for hunting. Loss of sea ice means less time to feed leading to a decline in health, reproduction and ultimately survival. Four patrols now work on the Russian coastal regions of Chukotka and Yakutia with plans to expand the patrols to other villages in Russia and the Arctic.