The BC Government is working with the Fort Nelson First nation and the BC Energy Regulator to implement new protection measures for boreal caribou in the Northeast.
“Helping caribou populations recover is a complex challenge requiring multiple approaches to stabilize and reverse the decline of herds in BC,” said Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
The province says the new measures are an effort to reach the caribou population recovery target. They say the new measures will follow the Boreal Caribou Protection and Recovery Plan they introduced in 2023. The plan was designed to support the recovery of species-at-risk, while also supporting the natural-resource economy in the region.
The province is looking to establish six new Wildlife Habitat Areas (WHA). These areas will give boreal caribous a healthy and safe environment to live in.
“Finalizing the Boreal Caribou Protection and Recovery Plan is a vital step in our shared responsibility to steward the land,” said Chief Archie Harrold, Fort Nelson First Nation.
The BC Energy Regulator are placing temporary regulations in 1.4 million hectares of habitat important for caribou protection, which will block energy and resources activity in the area.
The province is also implementing Resource Review Areas (RRA). In these areas, the right to explore for and produce petroleum or natural gas will be temporarily suspended.
The conservation measures will not affect recreation or public access to these areas.
A report on the status of BC caribou herds from 2023 shows a decreasing trend in population over the past 27 years in the Northeast.
As of May 16 of this year, the province estimates that the number of caribou dropped from 40,000 to 17,000 over the past century, with the biggest decline occurring over the past 40 years.