Canadian caribou collapse

This video is called Caribou migration to the Arctic – BBC.

From Wildlife Extra:

World’s largest reindeer herd in danger of extinction

George River herd shrunk from 8-900,000 to fewer than 30,000

December 2012. A reindeer herd which was once the largest in the world has shrunk to a fraction of its former size, official surveys have revealed. Canada‘s George River Herd once numbered 8-900,000, but a recent government survey found that only 27,600 animals survive.

The herd’s unprecedented and dramatic decline has left local indigenous people fearful for its survival. A ‘tsunami of factors’ has been blamed for the decline, which government ministers have called ‘significant and frightening.’

63% drop in 2 years

The reindeer, known as caribou in North America, is central to the lives and culture of many indigenous peoples in the sub-Arctic. The 63% population drop just in the last two years has left many of them shocked.

Mining

Speaking to Survival International, George Rich, an elder from northeast Canada’s Innu people, said, ‘one of the major factors is continued mining and mineral exploration. For example, Quest Minerals has recently announced that it wants to build a road through the heart of the calving grounds, as well as flying helicopters and planes back and forth from exploration sites.’

Canada’s promotion of industrial projects on its land has destroyed large tracts of the reindeer’s grazing grounds, heavily disrupting migratory routes. The herd’s decline has led some biologists to blame indigenous hunting practices. However, the Innu, who have co-existed with the caribou for thousands of years, have been quick to defend themselves.

Rich said, ‘the government always blames the Aboriginal people, but we are deeply connected to the caribou and have lived with them for generations.’

Many Innu are calling for greater control over their territories and resources, and to be treated as equals in decisions that affect their lands and the animals that live there.

Stephen Corry, Survival International’s Director said today, ‘It’s easy to blame indigenous peoples for over-hunting because they’ve usually no voice to defend themselves from these accusations. Yet it’s been proven in countless studies that they are the world’s best conservationists. When will governments and scientists realize this? We need to start listening to what indigenous peoples have to say about matters on their own land: they know best.’

Read the report.

Shrinking sea ice threatens natural highways for caribou, plants. Both furry and flowery travelers face trouble in a warmer world: here.

Caribou migrate farther than any other known land animal. Land migrations may get shorter as infrastructure and climate change alter the environment: here.

Habitat restoration alone not enough to support threatened caribou. Other conservation methods may also be needed until restored sites are more established: here.

Caribou, the North American cousin of reindeer, migrate farther than any terrestrial animal. They can cover thousands of miles as they move between winter feeding grounds and summer calving grounds. But many caribou herds are in decline as the warming climate changes much of the landscape they depend on. Inedible shrubs are rapidly encroaching on the tundra, and more frequent forest fires and disease are destroying the trees that provide caribou with lichen for food. The role of climate on their migration patterns has never been well understood, but knowing what drives caribou movements is crucial to predicting the future for the iconic species that plays a key roll the ecological and economic stability of the Arctic region: here.

Related articles

• Feds Scale Back Critical Habitat for Reindeer in Idaho Panhandle (boiseweekly.com)
• U.S. scales back planned habitat protection for reindeer (reuters.com)
• Federal caribou preservation plan at odds with oilsands development (ctvnews.ca)