.

Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

NWT - Environmental groups are calling for action to save Canada's Woodland caribou following a federal report on herd population trends, but both the territorial and federal government say the document is lacking key data.

The report, released April 9, was two years in the making and both the World Wildlife Fund and the Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society say it provides sufficient evidence that Woodland Caribou populations in Canada are in immediate danger. However, both the GNWT and the federal government are calling for more research, a request that is raising the ire of both groups.

The GNWT and federal government say a new report on boreal caribou is incomplete. - NNSL file photo

The 300-page report showed more than half the herds in Canada are at risk of being unable to sustain their populations due to habitat disruption. Environment Canada prefaced the report with a statement saying more research needs to be done. The preface, which CPAWS called unprecedented, specifically cited the need for more specific data to define critical habitat and a lack of aboriginal traditional knowledge as reasons for further study.

Ray Griffith of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF), said that is unacceptable.

“It’s a cop out by the federal government,” Griffith said. “It’s a political delay tactic. The report was very extensively done and it would take an enormous amount of work to bring in more information than is already there. It’s sufficient to warrant action taken by the government.

“They’re looking to delay because we have a Conservative government that is more interested in oil, gas and mining development than conservation.”

The World Wild Life Fund was involved in completing the report and backs the findings 100 per cent, but the lack of action by the federal government and the limited power the GNWT has makes moving forward with recommendations difficult.

“The GNWT is in a more difficult position. The land is crown – federal -- land and they have the capability to provide protection to the habitat for the caribou, the GNWT does not have that,” Griffith said, adding they do have a Woodland Caribou strategy they are working on. “They are responsible for renewable resources, but not habitat and the critical question is the deterioration of habitat. It’s difficult for the GNWT to do anything more than what they are doing at this time.”

Susan Fleck, director of wildlife for the GNWT Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said the report is not a clear picture of population health. She said the scientist conducting the report divided the larger population into eight regions, something she says doesn’t provide an accurate representation of the numbers.

“It would be more accurate to talk about density in different areas as they aren’t really different populations,” Fleck said.

“Caribou from a northern end of a study unit would be found in the southern end of another study unit. On the southern end of the territory the ranges go into Northern Alberta and they have lower recruitment rates due to more predators and landscape change.”

Lani Cooke, executive director of the NWT Chapter of Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society, said they stand behind the report and said it’s a good first indication that Canada and the NWT need to start looking at ways to ensure the woodland caribou does not continue to decline.

“We could lose some of our woodland caribou populations if we don’t start addressing the habitat issues and we don’t start to think about how we can work together to ensure they don’t go extinct,” Cooke said.

The Environment Canada report said they wanted to collect more traditional knowledge about the Woodland Caribou to further the understanding of the species, but Cooke said they should be taking steps now to manage the population.

“Our aboriginal people here have a huge amount of traditional knowledge on the caribou and we need to include what they know about that,” she said. “However, I do think it’s extremely important for our government and the federal government to take action to address the risks to the Woodland Caribou.”

Both Griffith and Cooke agreed management systems and protected habitats are needed, both specifically addressing the declining population of the woodland caribou in the Dehcho region. Three areas are currently going through the process to be named protected areas - Ka’a’gee Tu, around Kakisa, Edehzhie and Sambaa K’e in the Trout Lake area. The total areas if all protected would encompass almost 45,000 square kilometers of Caribou habitat.

“Sambaa K’e and Edehzhie have been accepted to be sponsored by the Canadian Wildlife Service,” Cooke said, adding they’ll support the work toward getting these areas protected. “This report is a strong reason to get this moving forward as quick as possible.”

Fleck said, however, the report neglected to be clear on the fact Woodland Caribou don’t necessarily stay within the boundaries they mapped out.

“When you look at the average recruitment in that area you’re looking at animals that are entirely in the NWT but some are moving to other regions,” she said. “The average suggests the recruitment rates are lower. That’s the part of the report doesn’t make clear, they put in political boundaries but the animals don’t follow political boundaries.”