Caribou as a Species at Risk
Currently, the BQCMB is involved in two Species-at-Risk discussions – one for NWT, and one for all of Canada.
NWT Species at Risk (SAR)
In February 2018 the NWT Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) approved a recommendation by the NWT Species at Risk Committee (SARC) to list eight NWT barren-ground caribou herds (excluding the Porcupine herd) as a species at risk with “threatened” status under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act.
With numbers declining by more than 85% for most NWT herds over the last 25 years due to climate change, predation, industrial development and habitat changes resulting from forest fires, barren-ground caribou may become Endangered if no further action is taken to support recovery of the herds. If listed, a recovery strategy would be developed within a 2-year period.
BQCMB members have expressed concern with the Threatened designation, as some fear a recovery strategy could impact traditional harvesting rights.
NWT officials have assured the Board that no automatic prohibitions would result from listing under NWT legislation. As well, work on NWT species at risk by the SARC and CMA has been done with co-management boards like the BQCMB for many years and existing management plans would be valuable during recovery planning when applicable.
July 29, 2017 –Comments on proposed Addition of Barren-ground Caribou to List of NWT Species at Risk
With numbers declining by more than 85% for most NWT herds over the last 25 years due to climate change, predation, industrial development and habitat changes resulting from forest fires, barren-ground caribou may become Endangered if no further action is taken to support recovery of the herds.
Proposed Federal Listings
Board members were also concerned with a proposed Species-at-Risk “Threatened” designation by the Government of Canada for all barren-ground caribou herds in Canada. Environment and Climate Change Canada – Canadian Wildlife Service (ECCC-CWS) has said that most Canadian herds have declined dramatically over the past three caribou generations (27 years). Currently there are 800,000 barren-ground caribou in Canada, down from over two million in the early 1990s.
COSEWIC assessed barren-ground caribou in 2016 and recommended listing as “threatened” under SARA to the federal Minister of Environment. Part of the federal pre-listing consultation process included ECCC-CWS meeting with individual communities to get input on their concerns. BQCMB members recommended that ECCC staff talk to territorial and provincial wildlife departments first and ask their biologists with established relationships with the communities to accompany them to community meetings. Having people along whom community members are used to talking to about barren-ground caribou and who have knowledge of the herds in their regions would help add credibility to the process.
January 15, 2019 –BQCMB Questions to ECCC regarding federal barren ground caribou listing proposal