CPAWS has worked with northern communities to successfully:
- Expand Nahanni National Park Reserve to protect the entire South Nahanni watershed and Karstlands. The watershed contains critical habitat for three northern mountain woodland caribou herds.
- Protect caribou habitat in Sahoyúé - ?ehdacho, two peninsulas on Great Bear Lake.
- Establish a network of culturally significant and ecologically representative protected areas in the Mackenzie Valley as a partner in the NWT Protected Areas Strategy.
CPAWS is currently working to:
- Protect the Nahanni Headwaters through the development of Nááts′ihch′oh National Park Reserve. This area will further extend protection for three northern mountain woodland caribou herds found in the neighbouring Nahanni National Park Reserve.
- Protect caribou habitat in proposed protected areas such as Pehdzeh Ki Ndeh, lakes and river corridors near the community of Wrigley in the Mackenzie Valley, and Edaįįla, a peninsula on the eastern side of Great Bear Lake.
Other caribou in the NWT
There are three other subspecies of caribou in the NWT: barren-ground (taiga and tundra), peary (arctic archipelago) and grant's (NW corner of NWT). Barren-ground caribou are the most numerous of all caribou in the NWT, and are extremely important to many NWT communities. However, it appears as though all NWT barren-ground herds are in decline.
Links and Resources
April 2009: Critical habitat identified in NWT
News release (PDF)
Backgrounder (PDF)
National Critical Habitat Report
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Local news
- CPAWS welcomes step forward towards new NWT national park
April 7, 2010 - Mackenzie Valley Pipeline review panel gets conservation measures right: CPAWS
January 6, 2010 - CPAWS congratulates 2009 Boreal leadership award winners
December 2, 2009
Critical habitat for Woodland Caribou
Action needed for survival
Improve habitatMaintain habitat
Disturbance possible
Identification of local populations required
Range of Boreal Woodland caribou
Boreal region of Canada
Snapshot
Boreal Woodland caribou
Boreal Woodland caribou generally live in the forests east of the Mackenzie River in small groups and do not migrate.
Northern mountain caribou
Northern mountain Woodland caribou live in the forests west of the Mackenzie River in the Mackenzie Mountains. They gather and migrate in groups in the late summer to late spring.
Habitat protected:
12%
Original habitat remaining:
50% (nationwide figure)
Woodland caribou remaining:
Boreal population - 4,000-6,600 (estimated)
Northern mountain population - unknown
Territorial protection:
The NWT does not have species at risk legislation yet. However, under the federal Species at Risk Act, the territorial government is developing an Action Plan for Boreal Woodland caribou.
Threats:
The loss, degradation, and fragmentation of Woodland caribou habitat, mostly due to expanding industrial development.