NEW PAPER: We followed the fate of 40 caribou herds —the southern mountain caribou population—to assess their trajectory and response to recovery actions. What we found was surprising and bitter sweet: dramatic declines but recent recovery due to controversial measures. 🧵 (1/n)
Southern mountain caribou are federally threatened w/ cultural and ecological importance. Their declines are thought to be caused by habitat loss, primarily from logging, but also all the other pressures on the land (roads, oil and gas, heli-skiing, agriculture). 📸 Ryan Dickie
But it's not habitat loss per se that is their challenge, but rather conversion of primary forest to shrubs and younger trees makes more habitat for other species like moose and deer. These new animals bring in wolves that prey on caribou at unsustainable levels. 📸 Line Giguere