A 25-year partnership between Frontiers North Adventures and Polar Bears International has funneled over CAD$5.7 million into polar bear research since 2001, combining ecotourism with on-the-ground conservation in Churchill, Manitoba. The alliance, now in its third decade, has become a global model for sustainable wildlife tourism, linking revenue from guided tundra buggy tours directly to scientific fieldwork and education programs.
The collaboration began in 2001, when Frontiers North, operator of the iconic Tundra Buggy fleet, joined forces with Polar Bears International, the only nonprofit focused solely on wild polar bears and Arctic sea ice. The pairing emerged from shared roots: PBI was founded in 1992 by photographers and wildlife enthusiasts drawn to Churchill’s annual polar bear migration, while Frontiers North provided the logistical access to study them. Together, they created a system where tourism funding supports research, public engagement, and coexistence strategies in a region where polar bears and humans share limited space.
Frontiers North has contributed CAD$5.7 million in cash and in-kind support since 2001, including vehicles, lodging, and transportation for PBI’s field teams. The partnership also pioneered Tundra Connections, a free STEM-focused webcast program launched in 2009 that streams live from the tundra using a mobile broadcast studio. Today, Polar Bear Cams reach over two million viewers annually, offering real-time access to bears in their natural habitat. The alliance also hosts PBI’s Climate Alliance training at its Tundra Buggy Lodge, bringing together zoo and aquarium professionals from institutions that collectively serve 200 million visitors per year.
In 2025, the organizations retired their original Tundra Buggy One and replaced it with a zero-emission electric model, powered by hydroelectricity to demonstrate low-impact tourism in extreme cold. The upgrade reduces noise pollution, critical for wildlife observation, and eliminates tailpipe emissions, aligning with Churchill’s growing focus on sustainable practices. Frontiers North CEO John Gunter framed the partnership as a sign of how travel can drive conservation when structured intentionally.
Since 2015, the two organizations have co-hosted the Conservation Journey: Polar Bears tour, designed for travelers seeking both bucket-list wildlife encounters and measurable conservation outcomes. Participants join experts on the tundra while a portion of their trip costs directly funds PBI’s research and community programs. The model has attracted attention from Destination Canada’s Strategic Advisory Group, which visited Churchill last year to study sustainable tourism frameworks.