An ice age relic living among us, Caribou are perhaps a remnant of an age long gone. Woodland Caribou are a beautiful, important, and yet many claim, a very poorly adapted species. In the cold northern wetlands of the Boreal forest, they have survived by living out of reach of predators. Woodland Caribou occupy a delicate niche that is highly susceptible to change. As such, they are at increased risk of extirpation. In Canada, there is a growing effort to help restore Woodland Caribou habitat to a state that allows for sustainable populations to exist. One major hurdle facing restoration is the vast network of seismic lines that riddle the Boreal forest from oil and gas exploration. Millions of kilometers of straight lines through the forest canopy open up travel for predators. Couple that with climatic changes and low birth rates, and this delicate species is facing a challenging future. Luckily, there is hope. Many companies have dedicated funding to research and restoration efforts to find answers to the caribou problem. Scott Nielsen’s Applied Conservation and Ecology Lab has found some answers.
#80-Woodland Caribou Restoration with Scott Nielsen