Caribou
Background
What is the morphology and life history of Canada’s caribou?
Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) have lived in Canada since the last Ice Age, adapting to a wide range of environments and holding important cultural significance for Indigenous Peoples.
They contribute to ecosystems by serving as a key food source for predators like wolves and bears, helping to sustain healthy food webs. Their grazing and movement patterns shape vegetation by keeping shrubs and lichens in balance, while also dispersing seeds and nutrients across the landscape.
Both males and females uniquely grow their antlers annually. Their hollow hair and snowshoe-like hooves help them survive harsh winters and travel efficiently on snow. They undertake some of the longest land migrations of any terrestrial mammal, with journeys exceeding 1,300 km. Caribou survival depends on predation, climate, habitat quality, and the availability of lichen, their primary winter food.
Although caribou can live 10 to 15 years in the wild, many populations are now threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change, making their conservation vital for ecosystem balance.
What is the current conservation status of caribou?
Caribou are classified in several ways in Canada. For ease of status classification, we will be defining populations using “Designatable Units” (DU’s). DU’s are recognized under the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and under the Species at Risk Act (SARA). Indigenous peoples know caribou by many different names and classify them in their own ways.
Depending on the DU, populations are listed as endangered, threatened, or special concern.
How many individuals are estimated to remain in the wild in Canada?
Some DUs now have more recent data (particularly in B.C and Québec) that paint an up-to-date picture of small, intensively monitored herds. For example, B.C.’s Itcha-Ilgachuz herd numbered roughly 551 members in 2024. In Québec, the Gaspésie population is extremely low. The 2024 inventory counted only 11 wild individuals. When counted with captive animals, the total was roughly 30.
Threats, Impacts, and Causes
How has the distribution and population of this species changed over the last two centuries?
In southern Canada, the overall range of caribou has contracted between 40% and 60%. Significant population declines have occurred (Festa-Bianchet et al., 2011). Caribou once ranged across the majority of Canada. Declines in population and range contractions have been uneven across sub-populations. Many sub-populations have faced dramatic declines. Within a few generations, entire herds have been extirpated from regions like the Canadian Maritimes, Haida Gwaii, and southern British Columbia. Most caribou populations in Canada continue to face declines.
What are the historic causes of the decline of this species/category?
Habitat disturbance and, to a lesser extent, human hunting are the primary causes of caribou decline across Canada.
What are the primary threats facing this species today?
Habitat loss and disturbance continue to be the most pressing threats to caribou populations in Canada. Recent research suggests that the intersecting threats of climate change, competition with other ungulates, and forest fires may all contribute to the decline of certain sub-populations (Tjaden-McClement et al., 2025). In the case of Arctic caribou, rapid climate change may increase summertime parasite loads and reduced sea ice cover may result in reduced habitat connectivity between Arctic islands (Mallory & Boyce, 2018).
How are the primary threats impacting the viability of the population?
The complex interplay of habitat disturbance and climate change can influence the rate of mortality in caribou. For example, unsustainable logging creates expansive networks of roads and cutblocks which may attract and facilitate the movement of other ungulate species such as deer and moose as well as their predators (e.g., wolves) (Tjaden-McClement et al., 2025). The increased presence of predators in forest-dwelling caribou habitat results in unsustainable predation rates for caribou populations which have not evolved to tolerate high levels of mortality.
Conservation Efforts
What conservation research has been conducted?
There are many diverse caribou research initiatives across Canada.
From 2013 to 2019, the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement (NCASI) studied the effects of forest management on caribou nutrition using a herd relocated from the University of Alaska Fairbanks to Canada.
In British Columbia, the provincial Caribou Recovery Program conducts monitoring of caribou populations and their habitats. This includes tracking herd sizes, health assessments and habitat conditions. Research by the University of Waterloo's School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability has focused on understanding the foraging behaviors of the Torngat Mountain Caribou herd in northern Labrador, providing insights into the ecological needs of this understudied population.
The 2012 Federal Recovery Strategy for Woodland Caribou identified 51 boreal caribou ranges across nine provinces and territories, with research focusing on their habitat needs and the impacts of disturbances like logging and infrastructure development.
Collectively, the aim of these studies and programs is to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of caribou ecology and inform conservation strategies across Canada.
Are there conservation actions and laws in place to protect this species?
Conservation actions stem from both governmental and grassroots initiatives.
1) Laws and regulatory frameworks:
SARA (Species at Risk Act): Once a caribou DU is listed, there is a legal obligation by the federal government to identify critical habitat for, protect, prepare a recovery strategy for, and monitor the herd.
Provincial regulations: B.C.’s Caribou Recovery Program or Alberta’s range plans require habitat thresholds, land-use planning, and guidance for forestry, oil, and gas activity in caribou range. The degree of enforcement and actual protection varies. Short-term strategies include predator reduction, penning, and feeding.
Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs): Some Indigenous communities are developing IPCAs to legally protect parts of traditional territory from industrial disturbance. These can include habitat protection for caribou.
2) Indigenous-led initiatives
The Dene Tha’ First Nation is leading conservation efforts in the Bistcho Lake region of northwest Alberta through initiatives like remote camera monitoring, Traditional Knowledge mapping, and a Guardians program. A key focus is the development of an IPCA to safeguard the Bistcho herd’s (DU7) range from industrial disturbance.
The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and Mikisew Cree First Nation have a Caribou Conservation Agreement under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA), outlining specific conservation measures. A stewardship plan was developed, and feasibility studies are underway.
The Caribou Patrol is an Indigenous-led conservation initiative based in Grande Cache, Alberta, spearheaded by the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation (AWN). Established in 2012, the program aims to protect the dwindling woodland caribou populations, particularly along the critical migratory route of Highway 40.
3) Community and NGO efforts
David Suzuki Foundation: Engages in habitat restoration advocacy and public education to reduce industrial impacts and support caribou recovery.
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI): Caribou Monitoring tracks populations, tests interventions, and analyzes land-use effects. Habitat restoration monitoring determines effectiveness of seismic line reforestation via field surveys, remote sensing, and wildlife use.
Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project (WBCCMP): Volunteers survey remote areas for signs of boreal caribou and contribute data to inform habitat protection and presence in under-surveyed areas.
Have actions been effective in the recovery of caribou?
The effectiveness of conservation actions for caribou in Canada has been variable, with some small improvements.
Habitat restoration efforts, such as seismic line reclamation in Alberta, have improved habitat connectivity and reduced predator access, supporting woodland populations.
Since the inception of the Indigenous-led Caribou Patrol collision prevention program, no caribou have been hit by vehicles during active patrols, demonstrating the initiative’s effectiveness.
Targeted predator management has shown short-term increases in calf survival, though it remains controversial. Additional research on moose populations following predator culls is also needed, as preliminary studies show reductions in wolves result in an increase of these ungulates that can add additional caribou stressors.
Programs like the Klinse-Za caribou recovery project demonstrate population stabilization and modest growth.
Despite some localized improvements, many caribou populations — especially migratory and woodland ecotypes — are still declining due to habitat fragmentation, climate change, and continued industrial development. According to federal reports, habitat conditions have worsened since 2012. Seven DUs have declined, and caribou hunting remains permitted in parts of Canada.
Integrated strategies combining Indigenous leadership, habitat restoration, legal protection, and scientific research offer the best prospects for meaningful recovery.
Future and Potential Solutions
What would a successful recovery for this species look like?
Successful restoration of caribou would depend on the particular population in question. For example, Lamb et al. (2023) affirm that species like caribou have significant cultural importance for Indigenous communities in Canada. Novel co-management conservation agreements between federal, provincial, and Indigenous governments offer the most promising recovery solutions. Indeed, a successful species recovery will be one which holistically considers the role of caribou within their respective ecosystem and upholds Canada’s commitments to Indigenous peoples (ex: United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples).
What immediate actions can people take to support this species' conservation?
Habitat protection and restoration are the unequivocal actions that must be taken to support the conservation of this species. Individuals can carefully consider which paper and wood products they purchase and ensure that these products do not contribute to unsustainable harvesting practices in the boreal forest.
How can sustainable practices help protect this species?
Protection of habitat is critical for caribou to persist in areas of low predation. The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions will be critical for all caribou in Canada, and perhaps even more important for Arctic-dwelling caribou that depend on specific environmental conditions to persist.
What role can education and awareness play in changing the public perception and treatment of this species?
By increasing the awareness of caribou conservation and the rampant resource extraction within critical caribou habitat, we can call upon provincial and federal authorities for stronger habitat protection.
