Caribou in Athabasca
Caribou in the Oil Sands Area
Woodland caribou are considered threatened in Canada — some herds are bordering on the brink of local extinction including the Little Smoky herd. The habitat quality of all herds in Alberta are in decline because of industrial use.
Where are the bou?
Caribou in the oil sands area are primarily found in large peat land complexes, but may also live in lichen-rich pine forests. There are four identified caribou ranges, with limited movement of animals between ranges. These ranges are the Richardson, West Side Athabasca River, East Side Athabasca River, and Cold Lake Air Weapons Range.
The Athabasca Landscape Team is a group tasked by the Government of Alberta with developing solutions to recover and sustain caribou populations in the Athabasca Landscape area. In their May 2009 report they determined that boreal caribou will not survive for more than two to four decades without immediate and aggressive management intervention. The Team concluded that there is not enough functional habitat within the Athabasca Landscape area to maintain and increase caribou populations. They concluded that: Tough choices need to be made between the management imperative to recover boreal caribou and plans for ongoing bitumen development and industrial land-use.
Read more...
- Woodland Caribou in Alberta
- Caribou in the Rocky Mountain Foothills - the Little Smoky Herd
- Caribou across Canada Caribouandyou.ca
