Polar bears are not found in mainland Scandinavia (Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, sometimes including Finland). The species is restricted to the high Arctic, and the Scandinavian peninsula lacks the necessary habitat requirements. Any polar bears associated with Norway belong to a distinct Arctic population located hundreds of miles north in remote islands of the Arctic Ocean.
Defining the Polar Bear’s Natural Range
The polar bear, Ursus maritimus, is a marine mammal with a circumpolar distribution, meaning its range spans the entire Arctic region. Their survival is intrinsically linked to the presence of annual sea ice, which serves as the primary platform for hunting their seal prey. The bears require stable ice over continental shelves for successful hunting and to build up the fat reserves necessary for survival.
The Scandinavian mainland, located at lower latitudes, lacks the consistent, year-round sea ice necessary to support a permanent population. This lack of reliable ice prevents the bears from accessing the ringed and bearded seals that form the majority of their diet. The species is concentrated in five countries: the United States, Canada, Russia, Greenland, and Norway, where the population is found exclusively in the Arctic archipelago.
The Svalbard Archipelago: A Norwegian Arctic Habitat
While absent from the mainland, Norway is home to a significant population of polar bears in the Svalbard archipelago, a group of islands located deep within the Arctic Ocean. Svalbard is geographically separate from continental Europe, lying approximately halfway between the mainland and the North Pole. The bears here belong to the Barents Sea subpopulation, which is shared with Russia.
The most recent comprehensive survey of the Barents Sea population, conducted in 2004, estimated the total number of bears in the region to be around 2,650 individuals. Subsequent surveys, like one in 2015, estimated approximately 264 bears were found in the Svalbard area itself, indicating a smaller, more localized group. The archipelago’s location near the ice edge and its specific islands, such as Kongsøya and Nordaustlandet, provide important denning areas for pregnant females.
The Barents Sea population includes two general types of bears: those that follow the sea ice north and east in the summer, and a smaller group of “coastal” bears that remain in the fjords and on the landfast ice around Svalbard. These coastal bears have been observed to have among the smallest home ranges of any polar bears, relying on seals found near the glacial fronts in the fjords. The movement of the bears is heavily dictated by the seasonal retreat and advance of the sea ice, which is particularly variable in this region.
Coexistence: Regulations and Safety in Svalbard
The presence of polar bears in Svalbard requires strict regulations to manage the interaction between humans and wildlife, enforced by the Governor of Svalbard. The Svalbard Environmental Protection Act is the main legal framework, aiming to preserve the Arctic environment while allowing for safe human activities. Visitors and residents traveling outside settlements must be prepared for potential polar bear encounters and are required to take necessary safety measures.
Specific rules prohibit disturbing, luring, or pursuing polar bears. Recent amendments to the Act have introduced minimum distances, requiring people to keep at least 300 meters away from a bear, and 500 meters during the sensitive period from March 1 to June 30. If a person encounters a bear closer than the required distance, they have a legal duty to retreat immediately to maintain a safe distance.
The law requires anyone traveling in the field to carry appropriate deterrents and defensive measures to avoid or ward off an attack. This often includes carrying a high-powered rifle and flare guns, which must be stored and handled responsibly. Killing a polar bear is only permitted as a last resort in self-defense, and such incidents are always subject to a thorough investigation.