3. POLAR BEARS 



a. Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears, November 15, 



1973. Not in Force"" 



Done at Oslo November 15^ 1973; signed hy the United States Novem- 

 ber 15, 1973; 



The Governments of Canada, Denmark, Norway, the Union of So- 

 viet Socialist Eepublics, and the United States of America, 



Recognizing the special responsibilities and special interests of the 

 States of the Arctic Region in relation to the protection of the fauna 

 and flora of the Arctic Region ; 



Recognizing that the polar bear is a significant resource of the Arc- 

 tic Region which requires additional protection ; 



Having decided that such protection should be achieved through co- 

 ordinated national measures taken by the States of the Arctic Region ; 



Desiring to take immediate action to bring further conservation and 

 management measures into effect ; 



Have agreed as follows : 



Article I 



1. The taking of polar bears shall be prohibited except as provided 

 in Article III. 



2. For the purpose of this Agreement, the term "taking" includes 

 hunting, killing and capturing. 



Article II 



Each Contracting Party shall take appropriate action to protect the 

 ecosystems of which polar bears are a part, with special attention to 

 habitat components such as denning and feeding sites and migration 

 patterns, and shall manage polar bear populations in accordance 

 with sound conservation practices based on the best available scientific 

 data. 



* [Reproduced from the text provided to International Legal Materials by the U.S. 

 Department of State. 



[Canada, Denmark, Norway and the United States signed the agreement on November 15, 

 1973. As of February 1, 1974, there were no ratifications.] 



Source: International Legal Materials, v. 13, No. 1, January 1974 : 13-18. 



Ratified hi/: Canada (with declaration), as of Dec. 31, 1974. (Entry Into force re- 

 quires ratification by three nations). 



(393) 



