CONTRARY to popular belief, Arctic animals have done rather well over recent decades. The first analysis of a 40-year database of Arctic species reveals that populations grew by 16 per cent on average between 1970 and 2004.
The Arctic Species Trend Index covers 35 per cent of all Arctic vertebrate species. The analysis, led by Louise McRae at the Zoological Society of London, shows several mammals have benefited from hunting bans. Populations of bowhead whales, for instance, have risen by about 3 per cent per year for 30 years.
“Populations of bowhead whales have risen by about 3 per cent per year for 30 years”…
