The Nenets Autonomous Area to create infrastructure for village protection against polar bears
© RIA Novosti. Vera Kostamo

The Nenets Autonomous Area to create infrastructure for village protection against polar bears

The Arctic: A Safe House for Everyone project, which provides protection against endangered polar bears, will be launched in the village of Amderma, the Nenets Autonomous Area, this November.

"We want to develop infrastructure that could provide security for the most vulnerable groups of this community, like children, the elderly and those requiring additional attention. We want to equip social facilities (the daycare center, school and out-patient clinic) with a video-surveillance system, install a lighting system for the polar night and put in window and playground security fences," said Sergei Uvarov, a coordinator of marine biodiversity conservation projects at WWF Russia's Barents office.

According to Uvarov, ecologists are planning to assess the future project works in the village this November. Next spring, they will purchase all the necessary equipment and deliver it to Amderma in summer, during the Northern Supply Haul. This way, in late summer of 2021, when the polar bear migration will be at its peak, all the necessary equipment will be there.

In addition, the system for collecting data on the polar bear population and distribution in the region will be made available to the members of the Polar Bear Patrol. Special software will allow them to immediately report data while monitoring the bears and plot it on an electronic map. This information will be used to prevent encounters with the bears.

Since 2006, WWF Russia has carried out the Polar Bear Patrol project, under which teams of local people monitor the polar bear situation. These teams, equipped with flare guns and loudspeakers, regularly scare away bears that come to the village.