Caribou Conservation Conundrum

byKyla M. Flanagan,

Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Calgary, Alberta, Canada

andJalene M. LaMontagne

Department of Biological SciencesDePaul University, Chicago, IL

By the end of this case study, you should be able to:1. Synthesize biological information related to a

conservation topic.2. Apply ecological principles to a current conservation

issue.3. Assess the appropriateness of a proposed

management strategy based on biological evidence.4. Determine the pros and cons of culling a wolf

population in Alberta to protect a declining caribou population.

5. Discuss potential challenges of implementing biologically focused management plans.

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Economic Importance of Alberta Oil

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Where is this issue taking place?

“Environment Canada had to be dragged into court before it came up with a recovery strategy for Canada's endangered woodland caribou”

(Max Paris, Environment Unit, VIDEO CBC News: Feb 22, 2012) 4

What is the concern over the caribou population?

What are the threats to the caribou population?

What is the management strategy being proposed?

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Rachael Mercer is a biologist who has been working at Environment Canada for 6 months. She completed her undergraduate ecology degree and worked at an environmental consulting company in oil and gas for 2 years. Now, as part of the Environment Canada team, she is responsible for determining if culling wolf populations is a viable LONG- TERM strategy for the conservation of caribou.

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/14233250/caribou2

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Black Bear Coyote

Moose Caribou

Lichen

Caribou Biology Wolf Biology

Landscape changes Food web interactions

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What should Rachael tell the minister? Is a wolf cull a viable long-term caribou

conservation strategy? Why or why not?

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What should we do?

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October 10, 2012

Weber, B. Edmonton Journal. 10 Oct 2012 . The Canadian Press10

Wrap-up: Challenges

• What do you think are some challenges of implementing a management plan for caribou in this setting?

• Are there additional factors that need to be considered?

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By the end of this case study, you should be able to:1. Synthesize biological information related to a

conservation topic2. Apply ecological principles to a current conservation

issue3. Assess the appropriateness of a proposed

management strategy based on biological evidence4. Determine the pros and cons of culling a wolf

population in Alberta to protect a declining caribou population

5. Discuss potential challenges of implementing biologically focused management plans

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Image CreditsSlide 1, topDescription: Athabasca Oil Sands NASA Earth Observatory.Source: Image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon using EO-1 ALI data courtesy of the NASA EO-1 team, retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Athabasca_oil_sands.jpgClearance: Public domain because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted."

Slide 1, leftDescription: Photo of Caribou, Reindeer in Alaska.Source: Jon Nickles, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, retrieved from Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rentier_fws_1.jpgClearance: This image is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Slide 1, rightDescription: Photo of Canis lupus.Source: Gary Kramer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/natdiglib/id/203Clearance: This image is the work of a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Slide 3Description: Graph displaying comparative oil reserves.Source: Government of Alberta, http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/FactSheets/Economic_FSht_May_2012_Online.pdfClearance: Used in accordance with terms of use as specified on http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/copyright.html, last accessed 01/18/2013.

Slide 4, leftDescription: Map displaying location of the Athabasca, Cold Lake and Peace River oil sands in Alberta with regulatory boundaries.Source: Alberta Geological Survey, retrieved from http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/energy/oilsands/index.html.

Slide 4, rightDescription: Caribou map.Source: Figure 2, page 4, of Status of Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Alberta: Update 2010. Alberta Wildlife Status Report No. 30. http://srd.alberta.ca/Fishwildlife/SpeciesAtRisk/DetailedStatus/Mammals/documents/Status-WoodlandCaribou-inAlberta-Jul-2010.pdf.

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