CARIBOU POPULATIONS - Kevin Gabriel (100392286)

1. [Anonymous]. Ottawa releases woodland caribou recovery plan. The Canadian Press 2012 Oct 5.

2. Muir, B., and Booth, A. (2012) An environmental justice analysis of caribou recovery planning, protection of an Indigenous culture, and coal mining development in northeast British Columbia, Canada. Environ Dev Sustain 14:455-476.

3. Poole, K., Heard, D., Mowat, G. (2000). Habitat use by woodland caribou near Takla Lake in Central British Columbia. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 79:1552-1561.

4. De Souza, M. (2012) Caribou at risk in oilsands regions; Federal memo says recovery ‘complex’ issue. Edmonton Journal. 07 July 2012: A13.

5. Wittmer, H., McLellan, B., Seip, D., Young, J., et al. (2005). Population dynamics of the endangered mountain ecotype of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 83: 407-418.

6. Bradshaw, C., Boutin, S., Hebert, D. (1998). Energetic implications of disturbance caused by petroleum exploration to woodland caribou. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 76: 1319-1324.

7. Nellemann, C., Cameron, R. (1998). Cumulative impacts of an evolving oil-field complex on the distribution of calving caribou. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 76: 1425-1430.

8. [Anonymous]. B.C. Considering wolf culls in new management plan. The Canadian Press 2012 Nov. 14.

9. James, A., Boutin, S., Hebert, D., Rippin, A. (2004). Spatial separation of Caribou from Moose and its relation to predation by wolves. Journal of Wildlife Management. 68:799-809.

10. Latham, A., Latham, M., McCutchen, N., Boutin, S. (2011). Invading White-Tailed Deer Change Wolf-Caribou Dynamics In Northeastern Alberta. Journal of Wildlife Management. 75: 204-212.

11. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Caribou.jpg

12. http://coreybradshaw.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/caribou-in-tonquin-valley-saakje.jpg

13. http://www.greenerideal.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/canadian-oil-sands.jpg

14. http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/caribou-rangifer-tarandus-mother-sergey-gorshkov.jpg

15. http://images.elephantjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/candian-oil-sands-615.jpg

16. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Wolf_with_Caribou_Hindquarter.jpg

17. http://www.fond-ecran-image.fr/galerie-membre/caribou/rangifer-tarandus.jpg

Declining Numbers of Woodland Caribou

The moose effect

A Canadian Environmental Issue

• The spatial distribution of caribou in relation to the alternative prey (moose) of wolves is thought to affect the level of wolf predation on caribou
• Caribou tend to select fen/bog complexes, while wolves and moose typically choose well-drained habitats (9)

The reality of the danger

The effects of habitat loss

• This spacial separation reduces wolf predation pressure on caribou (9)
• Industrial activities that increase densities of moose or drive them from their well-drained habitats (ie oilsands) will, in turn, reduce the refuge effect provided by fen/bog complexes to caribou (9)

Kevin Gabriel 100392286

• Anthropogenic activities have reduced the overall population of the caribou to a historic low (2)
• Species is presently listed as "threatened" and will continue to be at risk if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to this decline (5)

• Recent study (5) used census results and radiotelemetry locations of >380 individuals to delineate the population structure and document the size and trend of the metapopulation
• Adult female annual survival rates are below the survival rates commonly reported for large ungulates (5)
• Continuous range contraction has led to increasing fragmentation into smaller, isolated subpopulations (5)
• Recovery strategies should be directed at factors contributing to the fragmentation and isolation of populations as well as increasing adult survival

The plan

The details:

• Current approaches to remedy it are adequate only for protecting the species, not restoring the populations

• An effective plan to combat the declining numbers of caribou must be a multi-faceted approach:

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What about predation?

• Pregnancy rates were high among all populations, but calf recruitment rates were low - this is indicative of an unsustainable and declining population (5)

• The federal government's plan puts an emphasis on habitat restoration, requiring that all caribou ranges should be at least 65% undisturbed (1)
• Most ranges that do not meet this threshold are in Alberta and British Columbia - oilsands development has disturbed more than 80% of some caribou ranges (1)
• Implementation of the recovery strategy depends on the co-operation of provincial governments, which could prove difficult - it is a "collision course with industry" (1)
• "The most urgent thing is habitat restoration and landscape planning" - Carolyn Campbell of Alberta Wilderness Association (1)

• Studies (5) suggest that a major proximate cause of caribou population decline appears to be predation of non adult caribou by wolves
• Solutions offered for the problem include the slaughter of wolves (4), though a recent recovery strategy from Environment Canada reduced the emphasis on shooting wolves (1)

• Reduction of both primary prey and wolf population sizes (10, 9)
• Protection of caribou habitat that favor early seral forest (5)
• "The most urgent thing is habitat restoration and landscape planning" - Carolyn Campbell, Alberta Wilderness Association (1)

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• A draft plan released in 2012 for British Columbia (8) calls for wolf hunting and even culling, with no bag limits
• Several First nations groups say that wolves take an unsustainable toll on the endangered caribou population (8)
• "If we are to achieve our objective on endangered species, and particularly caribou, one of the key success factors in being able to do that is ensuring the management of predator impact." - Steven Thomson, B.C. Minister of wildlife (8)

How have the oilsands affected caribou?

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The deer effect

What's the Issue?

Main Article: Ottawa releases woodland caribou recovery plan (The Canadian Press, October 5, 2012)

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• The population decline is due to disturbances caused by petroleum exploration (6)
• The cumulative affects of multiple disturbances were shown (6) to negatively affect the delicate balance between energy expenditure and forage availability, especially during the winter
• A study in 1998 (7) investigated changes in caribout distribution related to increased density of industrial roads
• Caribou density is inversely related to road density, with the greatest effects being on females and calves (7)

The basics:

• A recent study (10) assessed the effects that white-tailed deer densities had on wolf-caribou dynamics both before and after major industrial expansion in the oilsands of Alberta
• Observable white-tailed deer increased 17.5-fold, followed by an increase of wolves from 6-11.5/1,000 square kilometers
• As a response to the increased number of predators, caribou increased 10-fold in the diet of wolves, resulting in their population beginning to decline (10)

• Out of a total of 51 remaining woodland caribou herds, only 14 are self-sustaining (1)
• 75% of caribou range in the Alberta oilsands region has been disturbed by fire, industry, or both (1)
• Almost all caribou herds in the oilsands region are unlikely to survive without action being taken - scientists believe the species could be wiped out in a generation's time (1)
• The Federal government of Canada has issued a recovery strategy, promising to work hard to preserve the habitat needed by caribou (1)

• Roads extend the physical "footprint" of an oilsand complex , having a serious impact
• Consequences of roads: heightened competition, lower productivity (7)

The need: habitat

What happened to the environment?

• Example: the First Coal Corporation drilled 173 holes and 5 open pits by 2012, covering the area providing about 2/3 of the habitat value to the herd (2)

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What is at stake?

• The key element in reversing these factors is the protection of habitat necessary for survival and recovery (2)
• Caribou feed primarily on arboreal lichens in the winter, preferring open spruce forests that have high lichen abundance (3)
• During both calving and migratory stages, caribou space away from each other by traveling several hundred kilometers (3)

• Survival of the metapopulation (groups of spatially separated yet interacting populations) of caribou existent in Western Canada

• These animals require a large amount of space in order for their life cycles to be achieved properly

• All local populations are at elevated risk of extirpation, especially those in the oilsands areas (4)
• A legal battle has arisen from environmental groups taking the federal government to court for failing to enforce its own endangered species law from 2007 (4)
• Environmental groups have asked the courts to compel Canada's environment minister (Peter Kent) to urge Harper's cabinet to issue an emergency order protecting from further industrial expansion (4)
• Even if acted upon today, it could take nearly half a century for the industry stakeholders to restore critical habitat to caribou (4)

"So, who is responsible for those caribou, and making sure their habit is continuous? They need large areas of undisturbed habitat. They are not very industry friendly animals." - Chief Roland Wilson, West Moberly First Nations (2)

References

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ENVS 1000U Major Assignment

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