Caribou

By protecting the threatened woodland caribou’s remaining Boreal forest habitat across Canada, we will also help protect one of the world's largest remaining carbon reserves, and slow the effects of climate change. The NWT species at risk legislation (NWT Species at Risk Act or NWT SARA) came into force February 10, 2010. Boreal Woodland caribou area being assessed under the Act; their status will be determined by October 2012.

There are five types of caribou in the NWT, all of which are have great cultural and economic importance to the majority of NWT communities:

• Northern mountain woodland caribou gather in large groups during late summer to late spring. These herds have distinct seasonal migrations and live in the Mackenzie Mountains;
• Boreal woodland caribou live in the forests east of the Mackenzie Mountains and tend to live in small groups. They prefer to stay within the forest for most of the year and do not migrate;
• Barren-ground caribou are the most numerous of all caribou in the NWT. These migratory caribou spend all or part of the year within the NWT;
• Peary caribou and live in the arctic archipelago and on Banks and Victoria Islands, and are smaller than barren-ground caribou, and
• Dolphin-Union caribou also live in the arctic archipelago, but are genetically distinct from Peary caribou.

Boreal Woodland caribou have been listed as ‘Threatened’ under the federal Species at Risk Act. Environment Canada released a proposed Recovery Strategy for boreal woodland caribou in August 2011, which is currently under public review. Our work is currently focused on boreal woodland caribou.

Related to this listing, the NWT government has developed a Five Year Action Plan Action for Boreal Woodland caribou. A draft Barren-Ground Caribou Management Strategy for the NWT is also available from the GNWT.

Three groups of NWT caribou have been added to the federal Species at Risk Act list: Northern Mountain Woodland caribou (Special Concern), Peary caribou (Endangered) and Dolphin-Union caribou (Special Concern). They will also be assessed under the NWT Species at Risk Act, which came into force February 10, 2010.

The threat

The biggest threat to woodland caribou is human activity. Woodland caribou are dependent on mature forests that support the growth of lichens they eat. They are extremely sensitive to both natural (such as forest fires) and human disturbance, and to habitat damage and fragmentation brought about by resource exploration, road building, and other human activity. New forest growth following destruciton of vegetation provides habitat and food for other ungulates, which in turn attracts more predators, putting pressure on woodland caribou.

What CPAWS is doing

CPAWS-NWT is dedicated to establishing a network of culturally significant and ecologically representative protected areas in the Mackenzie Valley, as a partner in the NWT Protected Areas Strategy, which will play a critical role in protecting woodland caribou habitat. Additionally, our work to expand Nahanni National Park Reserve to include the Dehcho portion of the South Nahanni watershed and karstlands means critical habitat for three northern mountain woodland caribou herds is protected.

We are continuing to work to protect woodland caribou habitat through:

• protecting the Nahanni Headwaters through the establishment of Nááts′ihch′oh National Park Reserve. This area will further extend protection for two northern mountain woodland caribou herds found in the neighbouring Nahanni National Park Reserve;
• establishing protected areas such as Pehdzeh Ki Ndeh, near the community of Wrigley in the Mackenzie Valley, and Buffalo Lake Rivers and Trails along the NWT and Alberta border;
• supporting the GNWT’s Action and Implementation Plans for Boreal Woodland Caribou conservation, and the federal government’s Boreal Caribou Recovery Strategy, and participating in other policy and legislative reviews.

Resources

• caribouandyou.ca
• Caribou in the NWT
• NWT action plan for Boreal Woodland caribou
• NWT management stratgey for barren ground caribou (2011-2015)

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