Over the next 45 years, the polar bear population may decline by almost 30 percent, Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Sergei Donskoi told RIA Novosti.

"In 2008, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed the polar bear as a vulnerable species. Research data suggest that the species face the threat of extinction in the wild. Experts estimate that the polar bear population may fall by almost 30 percent over the next 45 years," the minister noted.

Mr. Donskoi stressed that Arctic states have started working on national plans for polar bear conservation.

"In 2010, Russia became the first polar bear range state to approve a strategy for polar bear conservation and an action plan for protecting the species through 2020. The strategy prioritizes development of the network of specially protected natural areas," Sergei Donskoi added.