Polar Bear Universe Conference in Moscow and Anadyr to Present Results of Biodiversity Research in Russian Arctic

Participants in the 6^th Polar Bear Universe International Research and Training Conference, which will take place on 15–17 March in Anadyr (Chukotka Autonomous District) and Moscow, will discuss the development of Russia’s Arctic zone, scientific research and discoveries, as well as issues concerning environmental policy and adaptation to climate change. The event will be held as part of the events of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council in 2021–2023, which are managed by the Roscongress Foundation.

The conference will summarize the results of ten years of research on the biodiversity of the Arctic zone (from 2012 to 2022). The conference’s main objectives are to enlist the scientific community in conducting joint long-term research, promote measures to preserve biodiversity and develop ecological tourism, and involve government, research, educational, public, and business entities in the conservation of the Arctic ecosystem.

The conference’s plenary session will be held in the format of a teleconference between Moscow and Anadyr. Experts will discuss different aspects of cooperation among the state, business, and society for the sustainable development of Russia’s Arctic zone, international cooperation in the context of polar bear research, as well as the impact of climatic, anthropogenic, and technogenic factors on the Arctic and the polar bear population. In addition, the conference participants will look at the implementation of corporate programmes to preserve biodiversity in the region and potential ways to develop cooperation with commercial organizations.

In Moscow, the events of the Polar Bear Universe Conference will be held at the media studio of the Russian Geographical Society and the Conference Hall of the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The events of the Polar Bear Universe programme in Anadyr will take place at the DNT Coworking Centre and the Chukotka Arctic Research Centre.

The conference is being organized by the government of the Chukotka Autonomous District with the support of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and the Arctic, and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Polar Bear Universe Conference has been held in the Chukotka Autonomous District since 2017. The 5^th Polar Bear Universe International Research and Training Conference was held on 18–21 October 2022 in Anadyr as part of Russia’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council. Experts presented the results of the latest scientific studies of the Chukotka-Alaska polar bear population and discussed the work of Bear Patrols and the experience of Indigenous peoples in their peaceful coexistence with polar bears.

During its chairmanship of the Arctic Council, Russia pays special attention to coordinated measures to protect, preserve, and restore the Arctic environment, conduct climate studies, strengthen environmental security, including the prevention of environmental emergencies, as well as the sustainable use of the Arctic region’s natural resources for the environmental and socioeconomic well-being of the present and future generations of people living in the region. In particular, Russia pays close attention to the conservation and restoration of the diversity of Arctic flora and fauna as well as the protection of biological species and their habitats.