There are two herds of caribou that spend all their time in Jasper National Park, the Brazeau, and the Tonquin – and they’re in steep decline with perilously low population sizes. Unfortunately, the third herd, the Maligne herd was announced as locally extinct in 2018.  

There have been historical mismanagement decisions that prioritized recreation and business ahead of wildlife protection.  

Parks Canada reintroduced elk in 1920 in response to the high demand to see wildlife in the park. While elk brought more tourists to the park, the increased amount of prey species allowed wolf populations to explode in the 1960s, after a decades-long wolf removal program ended. This created an unsustainable shift in the predator-prey system that meant caribou took the brunt of the management mistake and suffered huge losses.  

In more recent years, access management decisions have included compromises that have negatively impacted caribou. For example, research shows that winter activities, like backcountry skiing and snowshoeing, can create packed trails that make easier travel for wolves. If those trails go into the alpine, then it also brings wolves – key predators of caribou – into the exact areas that caribou are using to hide from wolves. Parks Canada has been slow to implement robust access restrictions in winter habitat for caribou to mitigate this predation risk in winter, instead prioritizing the public’s recreational use of these areas.  

Increased management of the public and education for park users will be necessary to create a sustainable model of human and recreation coexistence with caribou. 

A successful breeding program will be dependent on many factors. Our expectation is that Parks Canada will take every precaution to ensure each factor is suitably addressed so odds of success are maximized. We cannot predict the future – but, unfortunately, the extirpation of the herd is now guaranteed, without intervention. CPAWS Northern Alberta applauds efforts to speak with experts across the globe and implore the park to meaningfully collaborate with interested and affected indigenous communities on the project. 

There are current examples of success in caribou conservation breeding programs in British Columbia. The West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations lead a maternity penning program for the Klinse-Za caribou herd, recovering the herd from 16 to now over 100 animals. 

Parks Canada has had success in their program to reintroduce bison in Banff National Park. Although they are very different animals with different behaviors, it shows Parks Canada’s commitments to protecting our wild species that deserve safe space and to thrive on this landscape where they’ve been living for millennia. 

While we recognize the urgency of recovering caribou herds in the park, there are still certain aspects of the program that need to be suitably addressed . 

Jasper National Park must prevent any habitat degradation and improve access management. Habitat must be safe for caribou when they are released back into the wild and must remain safe for them as the herd grows. Human recreational activities, like backcountry skiing and snowmobile tracks, can lead to increased caribou deaths in the winter – these must be suitably managed. Habitat destruction from tourism development cannot occur in caribou ranges.  

Public support and understanding of the program is essential to success. There must be an increase in education and outreach to park users about co-existing with wildlife.  

Land use activities beyond Jasper National Parks boundary need to be considered. Provincial land use decisions have carry-over impacts on the park. A multi-million dollar program should be a strong incentive for Canada to work with the provinces to strengthen land management decisions outside the parks.  

 The source for additional breeding female caribou to bring into the program will be a challenge. Not only should genetically/evolutionarily similarities of caribou be considered but also the stability of source herds. In Alberta, many caribou herds are only stable because of extremely aggressive wolf culls, do not have suitable habitat themselves, and may not be stable enough to handle the loss of dozens of females. This reflects our concerns for the potential to capture and use caribou from the nearby A La Peche herd on provincial lands – which is only stable due to wolf culls and whose habitat on provincial lands is highly disturbed.