March 29, 2017 – The Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou Management Board has launched a communications campaign called “You Can Make a Difference – Caribou for the Future” aimed at strengthening support for caribou conservation. The campaign has been in development for close to a year and includes a video, posters and fact sheets all zeroing in on three central themes: respectful harvest, the importance of harvest reporting, and cumulative effects on caribou.
The need for this type of information is growing due to the increasing challenges faced by the herds, according to BQCMB Executive Director Ross Thompson. “In 2011 there were about 124,000 Beverly caribou, which is less than half the size estimated in 1994,” he said. “The Qamanirjuaq herd is also declining. In 2014, the herd was estimated to be about 265,000, down from about 344,000 in 2008.”
While the BQCMB’s job is to make recommendations for conservation of the herds and their habitat, this project focuses on what people can do to help ensure there are enough caribou for everybody. “We do need to know how many caribou are being harvested,” says BQCMB Chair Earl Evans, who appears in the video along with other BQCMB members and Elders. “But it’s about more than that. We also want to promote a respectful harvest, and let people know about some of the stresses that can affect the caribou herds and ultimately the number of caribou available for harvest, and what people can do to reduce those stresses.”
The campaign was made possible with funding from WWF-Canada. “WWF-Canada is proud to support the BQCMB in this initiative,” says Brandon Laforest, senior specialist, Arctic species and ecosystems for WWF-Canada. “The worrying trends we are seeing in caribou herds across the country underscore the need for educational messages and products outlining ways we can all safeguard these animals for generations to come. This communications campaign will inform communities, governments, industry and regulators about the steps they can take to support recovery of the herds.”
The video, posters and fact sheets are available on the BQCMB website at arctic-caribou.com, and will be widely distributed across the Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou ranges in the coming weeks. Targeted audiences include schools, hunters and trappers organizations, band councils, regional wildlife organizations, community members, aircraft charter companies and passengers, outfitters, the mining industry, and others.
“The BQCMB’s conservation efforts are vital for the welfare of Dene, Inuit, Métis, Cree and other caribou-range residents who have always hunted Beverly and Qamanirjuaq caribou,” stresses Thompson. “Our goal with this campaign is to make sure people know that their efforts can make a difference to help ensure we have caribou for the future.”
