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Review of Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
Conservation in Light of Climate Change
Japnam Padda
York University
3.0 Credit Honours Thesis
Supervisor: Dr. Sharma
Advisor: Dr. Lortie
• National icon of Canada
• Meaningful to Indigenous peoples
– culture, diet, and spirituality
Cultural Significance of Caribou
Ecological Significance of Caribou
• Maintain predator populations
• Assist in nutrient cycling of Nitrogen
Main Objectives of Thesis
1. Review factors influencing woodland caribou decline in Ontario
2. Suggest potential management actions that can be taken to protect caribou populations, in light of climate change
Forest Tundra Woodland Caribou
Forest Dwelling Woodland Caribou
Adapted from Festa- Bianchet et al., 2011
Ontario Woodland Caribou Ecotypes
Threatened (COSEWIC, 2002)
Not at Risk (COSEWIC, 2002)
Half of Caribou Range Lost
• Range moving north at 34 km/ decade
Adapted from Shaefer, 2003
Range in 1990
Lost historical range
Woodland Caribou Decline
Anthropogenic
Landscape
Disturbance
Alternate
Prey
Presence
Predation
Parasites/ DiseaseHunting
Climate Change
Natural Landscape Disturbance
Vehicle Collisions
Woodland Caribou Decline
Anthropogenic
Landscape
Disturbance
Alternate
Prey
Presence
Predation
Parasites/ DiseaseHunting
Climate Change
Natural Landscape Disturbance
Impacts of Climate Change on Caribou
Climate Change
Forage Availability
Forage Accessibility
Predator-Prey
Interactions
Available Habitat
Spatial Separation
Availability of forage: ability of environment to make vegetation
Accessibility of forage: ability of caribou to obtain vegetation
Tews et al., 2007
Positive Outcome of Warming Trends
Warmer + Drier Summers
↑ Gr w g Season
(Tews et al., 2007)
↑ F rag Availability
(Tews et al., 2007)
• Temperature ↑ by 1.5°C • Fr qu y f a ua warm day ↑ 1950
Warren & Lemmen, 2014
Warmer + Drier Summers
↑ F r Frequency
↓ F rag Availability
(Rupp et al., 2006)
↓ Hab tat Availability
(Joly et al., 2012)
↑ M Populations
(Joly et al., 2012)
Negative Outcome of Warming Trends
Extreme Weather Events
Extreme Weather Events
↑ Fr qu y f Ice/ Snow Storms
↓ F rag Accessibility
(Miller & Gunn, 2003)
• Extreme weather events pr d t d t ↑ (i.e. snow, wind, and ice storms)
Warren & Lemmen, 2014
Caribou Conservation Plan (CCP)
OMNR, 2009
Caribou Conservation
Plan
Implement Actions
Monitor Outcomes
Evaluate Caribou Status
Make Revisions
Discussion between:
Indigenous Peoples + Public +
Stakeholders + Scientists
CCP in Need of Update
• Guidelines very broad “ . . ma ta a t y b r a f r t”
• Climate change mentioned, but specific remediation missing
• Focuses on logging and development
Management Recommendations, in Light of Climate Change
Climate- Ontario Government (carbon tax) & Conservation Ontario
1. Drastic reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (Spittlehouse & Stewart, 2003)
2. Reserve/ protected areas be expanded for “climate- induced migration insurance” (Ha a et al., 2002)
Triage
3. Woodland caribou conservation must be triaged over other ungulate species (Racey et al., 1991)
Management Recommendations, in Light of Climate Change
Forestry- MNRF & Crown Land Forest Operations
4. Forest fires must be suppressed (Joly et al., 2012)
5. Tree and lichen species must be assisted in colonization (Spittlehouse & Stewart, 2003)
6. Clearcut harvest system must be tightly regulated (Racey et al., 1991)
Management Recommendations, in Light of Climate Change
Management Implications• Improvements in caribou
populations will take time to witness
• Goes against natural processes (wildfire)
• Counterproductive for species such as moose & deer
• Slowed economic growth of industries, such as logging
What about moose
?!
Acknowledgements
• I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Sharma,for her feedback, inspiration, and guidance throughout this paper
• I would also like to thank Dr. Lortie for being my advisor (appreciate your quick e-mail replies)
• And lastly everyone in the Sharma lab (Lianna, Miranda, Samantha, Thomas, Katrina, and Shakur) for making this such an exciting and educational experience
• Thank you all!
ReferencesCOSEWIC. 2002. COSEWIC assessment and update status report on the woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou in Canada. Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada, Ottawa. 98 pp.
Environment Canada. 2011: Annual 2011 Summary, Climate Trendsand Variability Report, online, <ec.gc.ca/adsc-cmda/default.asp?lang=En&n=F3D25729-1>.
Festa-Bianchet M, Ray JC, Boutin S, Cote SD, and Gunn A. 2011. Conservation of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Canada: an uncertain future. Can J Zool 89: 419-434.
Hannah L, Midgley GF, and Millar D. 2002. Climate change-integrated conservation strategies. Global Ecol Biogeogr 11: 485- 495.
Joly K, Duffy PA, and Rupp TS. 2012. Simulating the effects of climate change on fire regimes in Artic biomes: implications for caribou and moose habitat. Ecosphere 3(5): 36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES12-00012.1
OMNR. 2009. O tar ’ W d a d ar b u rvat P a . Qu ’ Pr t r f r O tar , T r t , O tar . 24 pp.
Racey GD, Abraham K, Darby WR, Timmermann HR, and Day Q. 1991. Can woodland caribou and the forest industry coexist: The Ontario scene. Rangifer 7: 108-115.
Rupp TS, Olson M, Adams LG, Dale BW, Joly K, Henkelman J, Collins WB, and Starfield AM. 2006. Simulating the Influences of Various Fire Regimes on Caribou Winter Habitat. Ecol Appl. 16(5): 1730- 1743.
Schaefer JA. 2003. Long-Term Range Recession and the Persistence of Caribou in the Taiga. Conserv Biol 17(5): 1435- 1439.
Spittlehouse DL and Stewart RB. 2003. Adaptation to climate change in forest management. BC Journal of Ecosystems and Management 4(1): 1-11.
Tews J, Ferguson MAD, and Fahrig L. 2007. Potential net effects of climate change on High Arctic Peary caribou: Lessons from a spatially explicit simulation model. Ecol Model 207: 85- 98.
Warren FJ and Lemmen DS. 2014. Synthesis; in Canada in a Changing Climate: Sector Perspectives on Impacts and Adaption, (ed.) FJ Warren and DS Lemmen; Government of Canada, Ottawa, ON, p. 1-18.