Transcript Caribou Conservation Conundrum by Kyla M. Flanagan, Department of Biological Sciences University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada and Jalene M.

Caribou Conservation
Conundrum
by
Kyla M. Flanagan,
Department of Biological Sciences
University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
and
Jalene M. LaMontagne
Department of Biological Sciences
DePaul 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
3
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 LONGTERM strategy for the conservation of
caribou.
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Caribou Biology
Landscape changes
Wolf Biology
Food web interactions
Coyote
Black Bear
Moose
Caribou
Lichen
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What should Rachael tell the Minister
of the Environment?
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
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Weber, B. Edmonton Journal. 10 Oct 2012 . The Canadian Press
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 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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Image Credits
Slide 1, top
Description: 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.jpg
Clearance: 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, left
Description: 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.jpg
Clearance: 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, right
Description: Photo of Canis lupus.
Source: Gary Kramer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, http://digitalmedia.fws.gov/cdm/singleitem/collection/natdiglib/id/203
Clearance: 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 3
Description: Graph displaying comparative oil reserves.
Source: Government of Alberta, http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/FactSheets/Economic_FSht_May_2012_Online.pdf
Clearance: Used in accordance with terms of use as specified on http://www.oilsands.alberta.ca/copyright.html, last accessed 01/18/2013.
Slide 4, left
Description: 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, right
Description: 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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