Agencies create new plan in response to declining caribou

Wildlife management agencies have developed a new strategy to halt the decline of barren-ground caribou populations across Canada’s Northwest Territories. Many barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) have seen large declines in recent years — the Bathurst herd shrank by about 98% from its peak estimated size due to factors like climate change. The Conference of Management Authorities, a collective of wildlife management agencies from First Nations groups and the territorial and federal government, released a 70-page document in mid-July summarizing threats faced by barren-ground caribou herds across the Canadian territory. The report has five overarching goals: collaboration between management agencies; caribou monitoring; increasing knowledge using traditional, community and scientific knowledge; conservation and protection; and public education to promote respect for caribou. “Much of what is identified in the recovery strategy we are working on already,” Jody Pellissey, chair of the Conference of Management Authorities, told CBC.

Read more at CBC.