Grey ghosts: can we protect Woodland Caribou in Canada's Boreal Forests?
Posted on October 3, 2004
Download the report (PDF)A new report by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) concludes that woodland caribou, a key indicator of a healthy boreal forest, require immediate protection if they are to survive. The report reviews the status of woodland caribou across Canada, and describes a new campaign to protect critical wild areas and to change industrial activities where woodland caribou live.
Among the report's key findings: Of five major woodland caribou populations in Canada, one is endangered, two are threatened and one is of special concern. And a review of recent trends indicates that if steps are not taken now to protect many of the large intact regions where woodland caribou still roam, the species could disappear from much of its range this century.
Canada is one of only three countries in the world, along with Russia and the United States (Alaska), where the woodland caribou are still found. According to the report, the rapid northward advancement of industrial development is changing our forests and making them unsuitable for woodland caribou.
The report and campaign were developed because of growing awareness and concern among scientists and conservationists that woodland caribou are disappearing from our northern forests and we are not doing much about it. The recent federal designation of Woodland Caribou as "threatened" within the boreal forest region demonstrates that this trend in Canada-wide in scope.
"There is an urgent need for action across Canada's boreal forest," says Tim Gray, Director of Boreal Programs for CPAWS. "In every province and territory our staff and volunteers are working on this campaign, with the target of establishing new protected areas over the next 10 years that will ensure the survival of this iconic species. "
There is strong reason to believe the new campaign can be successful. CPAWS, along with leading industry, First Nations and other conservation groups, has worked with the Canadian Boreal Initiative to develop the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework. If it is fully implemented, the Framework would greatly expand permanent protection from industrial uses to cover at least 50% of the boreal forest and see the rest managed in a manner that ensured the sustainability of wildlife populations while also allowing resource extraction. CPAWS is committed to working with other groups to implement the Framework in order to ensure the survival of woodland caribou, among other species.
Please refer to the woodland caribou report for details of CPAWS' planned conservation actions. For more information concerning CPAWS regional contacts and the Boreal Forest Conservation Framework please visit www.cpaws.org/boreal
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For more information please contact:
Tim Gray, Director, Boreal Programs
(416) 986 2408 cell
(416) 971 9453 ext. 32
tgray@cpaws.org
Maps and images available in .jpeg format:
* Distribution of Woodland Caribou in Canada (Zipped file, 2.49 MB)
* Single Woodland Caribou colour image (JPEG or 2.8 MB TIF), photo by David Dodge
* Single Woodland Caribou colour image (JPEG or 3.4 MB TIF), CPAWS Wildlands League
* Single Woodland Caribou colour image (JPEG or 5.3 MB TIF), CPAWS Wildlands League
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) is Canada's voice for wilderness. We focus on establishing interconnected networks of parks and wilderness areas, making sure that nature comes first in their management. With our 20,000 members and 13 chapters across the country, our work is delivered 'on the ground,' by professional staff who deliver practical tools to protect wild places. Since 1963, we have helped protect over 40 million hectares of Canada's most treasured wild places. Find out more about our Boreal Forest Conservation program visit our website at www.cpaws.org/boreal.
Woodland Caribou Background Information
Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou ) are supremely well adapted to life in northern forests. Members of the deer family, woodland caribou have a short stocky body, fur-covered short wide ears and a flat muzzle, a long thick winter coat with semi-hollow hairs that protects them from both cold and wind and large concave hooves (with shrinkable foot pads to protect against frostbite) that help them prance over soft snow and muskeg.
* There are estimated to be 184,000 Woodland Caribou left in Canada, 54% of these are on the Island of Newfoundland.
* Woodland Caribou have been forced from 50% of their historic range within Canada.
* Woodland Caribou have been losing 35,000 km 2 of range every decade for the past 110 years.
* The Boreal population of Woodland Caribou was placed on COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) "threatened" species list in 2002.
* It is estimated that the population in Alberta will be extirpated in 37 years without action to protect their habitat. In Ontario it is estimated the same fate will meet woodland caribou in 100 years or less.
* The main cause of the woodland caribou decline is industrial development that:
o Increases access of predators (wolves and humans)
o Reduces food sources (lichen in older forests) and habitat for giving birth.
CPAWS Woodland Caribou action across Canada
National
* Public education and outreach through True North Wild and Free, a national book tour celebrating Canada 's boreal forest during autumn 2004.
* Joint sponsorship of a conference on practical steps for woodland caribou conservation to be held with partner organizations in 2005.
* Support for regional initiatives to establish new protected areas and to change industrial practices.
Yukon
Caribou Conservation Goals:
* Maintain intact and healthy Wolf Lake Herd (in the proposed Wolf Lake National Park study area).
* Maintain and intact and self-regulating Bonnet Plume Woodland Caribou Herd (Peel watershed)- largest woodland caribou herd in the Yukon.
* Protect the winter range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd (Peel watershed, Eagle Plains).
* Promote conservation of winter range of the Rancheria Woodland Caribou Herd in Southeast Yukon/Northern BC.
British Columbia
Caribou Conservation Goal:
* Undertake Mountain Caribou Habitat Conservation Project to reverse the decline of South Selkirk and Central Selkirk sub-populations by securing and restoring key early-winter and late-winter old-growth forest habitat on the private lands that comprise about one-third of the critical habitat of the transboundary herd. CPAWS' work with landowners raises the profile of Mountain Caribou regionally and pioneers a more precautionary approach for all land use within critical habitat areas.
Alberta
Caribou Conservation Goals
* Establishment of a protected wild area for caribou in the Chinchaga region of western Alberta.
* Successful protection of the Little Smoky woodland caribou herd.
* Development of management planning guide lines and protected areas to conserve caribou where forestry is occurring.
Saskatchewan
Caribou Conservation Goals
* Establishment of a network of large protected wild areas in land-use plans in the Athabasca and North Central Regions.
Ontario
Caribou Conservation Goals:
* Protection of large forested areas in Ontario 's northern boreal forest.
* Securing changes to forestry practices to allow for the continued survival of caribou in areas where forestry occurs.
Québec
Caribou Conservation Goals
* Protection of large wild areas where Woodland Caribou live through the creation of parks and reserves.
* Securing changes to forestry practices to allow for the continued survival of caribou in areas where forestry occurs.
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