Canada, Norway and Greenland were the main opposition to an American-lead proposal to ban the trade in polar bears and their parts at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meeting in Doha, Qatar on March 18, 2010.
175 nations are currently participating in the meeting that continues until March 25th, 2010.
The USA argued that the hunting and trading in polar bear teeth, skins and claws contributes to polar bear survival problems, in addition to the threat from climate change. However, the countries opposed to the ban stated that a ban in polar bear trade would affect indigenous livelihood and that the hunt and trade didn’t have a significant impact on polar bear numbers. It is estimated that there are only 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears left in the wild.
The CITES' delegates also rejected a proposed ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing and trade.
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