scholarly journals Status of woodland caribou in Alberta

Rangifer ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Edmonds
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Conservation Strategy ◽  
Peat Moss ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Multi Stakeholder

A recent review of woodland caribou {Rangifer tarandus caribou) status in Alberta estimated that there are between 3600 and 6700 caribou occupying 113 000 km2 of habitat. There are two ecotypes of caribou in Alberta; the mountain ecotype in the west central region and the boreal ecotype primarily in the north. Mountain caribou populations are stable or declining and boreal populations, where data are available, appear to be stable or declining slowly. A major initiative in caribou management in Alberta has been the development of the Woodland Caribou Conservation Strategy. This document was developed over two and a half years by a committee of multi-stakeholder representatives. The past five years has seen an increase in baseline inventory and applied research jointly funded by government, industry and universities, addressing a wide range of management issues from caribou response to logging to interactions of moose, wolves and caribou in the boreal ecosystem. Land use conflicts on caribou range remain high with timber harvesting, oil and gas development, peat moss extraction, coal mining, agricultural expansion and increasing road access overlapping. Cumulative effects of these disturbances are poorly understood and have received little attention to date.

scholarly journals Conserving woodland caribou habitat while maintaining timber yield: a graph theory approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (7) ◽  
pp. 914-923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan L.W. Ruppert ◽  
Marie-Josée Fortin ◽  
Eldon A. Gunn ◽  
David L. Martell
Keyword(s):  
Graph Theory ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Optimization Approach ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Heuristic Procedure ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest

The fragmentation and loss of old-growth forest has led to the decline of many forest-dwelling species that depend on old-growth forest as habitat. Emblematic of this issue in many areas of the managed boreal forest in Canada is the threatened woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)). We develop a methodology to help determine when and how timber can be harvested to best satisfy both industrial timber supply and woodland caribou habitat requirements. To start, we use least-cost paths based on graph theory to determine the configuration of woodland caribou preferred habitat patches. We then developed a heuristic procedure to schedule timber harvesting based on a trade-off between merchantable wood volume and the remaining amount of habitat and its connectivity during a planning cycle. Our heuristic can attain 84% of the potential woodland caribou habitat that would be available in the absence of harvesting at the end of a 100 year planning horizon. Interestingly, this is more than that which is attained by the current plan (50%) and a harvesting plan that targets high volume stands (32%). Our results indicate that our heuristic procedure (i.e., an ecologically tuned optimization approach) may better direct industrial activities to improve old-growth habitat while maintaining specified timber production levels.

scholarly journals Progress towards the experimental reintroduction of woodland caribou to Minnesota and adjacent Ontario

Rangifer ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter A. Jordan ◽  
James L. Nelson ◽  
John Pastor
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Feasibility Studies ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
The North

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) are native to Minnesota but started to decline in the mid 1800s and disappeared from the state by 1940. Their demise had been attributed to extensive timber harvest and ovethunting; but more recently mortality from the meningeal worm, Parelaphostrongylus tenuis, carried by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and increased prédation by timber wolves (Canis lupus) and black bears (Ursus americanus) have been suggested as additional causes. We describe a current initiative to explore feasibility of restoring caribou to the boundary waters region of Minnesota and Ontario. Feasibility studies have been conducted under the guidance of the North Central Catibou Corporation (NCCC), a non-governmental organization with representation from relevant state, federal, Native American, and Canadian agencies. Results indicate a) Within Minnesota the most suitable site for woodland caribou lies within the eastern sector of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), and this is contiguous with a similarly suitable sector of Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park: Together these comprise the recommended 1300-km2 Boundary Waters Caribou Region (BWCR); b) Vegetation in the BWCR has changed little since the 1920s when caribou were last present other than effects of fire suppression; c) Level of white-tailed deer, hence the meningeal worm, is so low in the BWCR that this factor is unlikely to impede survival of re-introduced caribou; d) While wolf numbers within the wider region are relatively high, their impacts may be minimized if caribou are released in small, widely scattered groups; in addition, an abundance of lakes with islands affords good summer-time prédation security; e) Threat to calves from black bears, probably more numerous than in earlier times, appears lessened by the security of lakeshores and islands; and f) A simulation model, combining knowledge from elsewhere with the BWCR assessment, suggests that released animals have a 0.2 to 0.8 chance of increasing in numbers during the first 20 years post-release. Strategies for maximizing success are identified. NCCC has concluded that the only practical approach that remains for determining restoration feasibility is through experimental releases or caribou. While promise of eventual success appears only moderate, the NCCC feels that costs and uncertainties associated with the experiment are justified by the environmental benefits from a success. Even if the effort fails, valuable knowledge would accrue for conservation biologists in general. An action plan is outlined, and progress and problems in selling the caribou initiative are discussed.

scholarly journals Knowledge Co-production in Contested Spaces: An Evaluation of the North Slope Borough – Shell Baseline Studies Program

ARCTIC ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan P. Kettle
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Steering Committee ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
North Slope ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Boundary Organization ◽  
Contested Spaces ◽  
The North ◽  
Trade Offs

Supporting the development of trusted and usable science remains a key challenge in contested spaces. This paper evaluates a collaborative research agreement between the North Slope Borough of Alaska and Shell Exploration and Production Company—an agreement that was designed to improve collection of information and management of issues associated with the potential impacts of oil and gas development in the Arctic. The evaluation is based on six categories of knowledge co-production indicators: external factors, inputs, processes, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. Two sources of data were used to assess the indicators: interviews with steering committee members and external science managers (n = 16) and a review of steering committee minutes. Interpretation of the output and outcome indicators suggests that the Baseline Studies Program supported a broad range of research, though there were differences in how groups perceived the relevance and legitimacy of project outcomes. Several input, process, and external variables enabled the co-production of trusted science in an emergent boundary organization and contested space; these variables included governance arrangements, leveraged capacities, and the inclusion of traditional knowledge. Challenges to knowledge co-production on the North Slope include logistics, differences in cultures and decision contexts, and balancing trade-offs among perceived credibility, legitimacy, and relevance. Reinforced lessons learned included providing time to foster trust, developing adaptive governance approaches, and building capacity among scientists to translate community concerns into research questions.

scholarly journals Refugial origin and postglacial colonization of holarctic reindeer and caribou

Rangifer ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Knut H. Røed
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
The North ◽  
Morphological Differences

The classification and colonization of reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) was assessed from analysis of both proteins, nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA. I demonstrate that the current subspecies designations are not compatible with the differentiation at these markers, suggesting that the morphological differences among extant subspecies did not evolve in separate glacial refugia. Thus, morphological differences among extant subspecies probably evolved as adaptive responses to post-glacial environmental changes. An exception to this is the North American woodland caribou, where all three marker systems support a subspecies-specific refugium as the ancestral origin of these animals. Three major mtDNA haplogroups reported, represent three separate origins of the species during the last glaciation. The most influential origin has contributed to the gene pool of all extant subspecies, suggesting the existence of a large and continuous glacial population ranging across extensive areas of tundra in Eurasia and Beringia. The North American tundra forms (R.t. granti and groenlandicus) and the arctic forms (R.t platyrhynchus, R.t pearyi and R.t eogroenlandicus) almost exclusively comprise haplotypes of such an origin. Another small and isolated refugium seems to have arisen in western Eurasia in close connection to the extensive ice sheet that covered Fennoscandia. The two Eurasian subspecies R.t. tarandus and R.t. fennicus appear to have a diphyletic origin as both the putatively small and isolated Eurasian refugium and the large Beringia refugium have contributed to their gene pools. A third distinct and geographically well-defined refugial area was probably located south to the extensive North American continental ice sheet from where the ancestors of the present North American woodland caribou (R.t. caribou) likely originated.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag: Systematisk inndeling og kolonisering av rein (Rangifer tarandus) ble bestemt ved å analysere for variasjon i genetiske markører som proteiner, kjerneDNA og mitokondrieDNA. Dagens oppdeling av rein i underarter viser liten overensstemmelse med variasjonsmønsteret i de undersøkte markørene, noe som viser at de morfologiske forskjellene som karakteriserer dagens underarter ikke har utviklet seg i atskilte refugier i løpet av siste istid. Unntak fra dette er nordamerikansk skogsrein (woodland caribou-R.t. caribou) hvor alle tre markørsystemene indikerer at denne har utviklet seg i et refugium forskjellig fra andre underarter. De tre registrerte hovedhaplogruppene i mitokondrie-DNA representerer tre atskilte opprinnelser av rein i løpet av siste istid. Den mest innflytelsesrike av disse bidro vesentlig til genbanken til alle dagens underarter av rein, noe som tyder på at det under siste istid eksisterte en stor reinpopulasjon med kontinuerlig utbredelse gjennom store deler av tundraen i Eurasia og Beringia. De nordamerikanske tundrareintypene (R.t. granti og R.t. groenlandicus), samt de arktiske typene (R.t. platyrhunchus, R.t. pearyi og R.t. eogroenlandicus) består nærmest utelukkende av haplotyper med denne opprinnelse. Et annet lite og isolert refugium syntes å ha oppstått i Vest-Europa i nærheten av den omfattende isbreen som dekket Fennoskandia. De to europeiske underarter, R.t. tarandus og R.t. fennicus, syntes å ha en todelt opprinnelse med genetisk påvirkning fra både det antatt lille og isolerte refugiet i Eurasia samt fra det store Beringia refugiet. Et tredje geografisk distinkt refugium var antagelig lokalisert sør for den omfattende isbreen i Nord Amerika hvorfra forfedrene til dagens nordamerikanske skogsrein (R.t. caribou) har sin mest sannsynlige opprinnelse.

Early social impact management of an oil and gas development in a NT Aboriginal society—a case study

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 271 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S D Kernaghan
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Social Impact Assessment ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range

In 2005 a draft Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) for the Blacktip Project was prepared by James Kernaghan on behalf of the Blacktip Joint Venture. The SIMP was prepared for the purpose of providing a basis for consultation with the communities that would be potentially affected by the project and the means through which social impacts could be managed. After Eni Australia became 100% owner and operator of the project in December 2005, the SIMP was revised to reflect the values and practices of Eni globally. This paper presents a case study of the early development of social impact management practice for the Blacktip Project in the southern Bonaparte Gulf, northern Australia, in the period from discovery to the middle of the construction phase (end 2001 to end 2007). The primary outcomes, so far, of the social impact management process for the Blacktip Project have largely been positive and work continues to ensure that this remains the case. From a management perspective, the key outcomes have been a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report, a Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) and the establishment of an Social Impact Advisory Committee incorporating representatives from the key external stakeholder groups. The paper starts with descriptions of the project and affected communities and the law and policy context in which the project sits. This is followed by a detailed account and discussion about the land acquisition process and the social impact assessment and management plan development, including the scope, methodology and analytical framework used in the SIMP. The paper then provides an account and discussion of the nexus between project development and social impact management. The conclusion gives some observations about the experiences had in the SIMP implementation to date, during the first two construction phases of the project. Often there are a very wide range of social and economic issues that get touched upon in the development of a social impact management plan for a resource project. The resolution of these broader issues is naturally beyond the scope and capability of any company or project and there are often misconceptions in communities about what can be done. The best that a company can do is to approach the management of social impact in a way that tries to build a practical foundation for community development, through consultation with stakeholders in an open and participatory process. The people and organisations that live and work in a region are responsible for the social and economic development of that region, as a part of that community. Some contributions can be made by resource developers, however it is up to the people themselves, the individuals and the families in any community to choose and then pursue their individual and collective destiny. Others cannot do it for them. The paper attempts to provide some insight into the cultural, political, social and commercial realities associated with the development of the project in the particular society involved. In doing so, it is hoped that a useful early case study in the field of social impact management will emerge that may be useful for oil and gas developments and developing communities elsewhere in Australia and the world.

scholarly journals Winter distribution of woodland caribou in relation to clear-cut logging in west-central Alberta

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (8) ◽  
pp. 1433-1440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirby G Smith ◽  
E Janet Ficht ◽  
David Hobson ◽  
Troy C Sorensen ◽  
David Hervieux
Keyword(s):  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Timber Harvesting ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Daily Movement ◽  
Movement Rates ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Winter Range ◽  
West Central

The responses of a herd of migratory woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) to timber harvesting that fragmented about 11% of their winter range in west-central Alberta were examined in this study. From 1981 to 1996, 45 caribou were radio-collared and monitored during the initiation and completion of first-pass timber harvest (50% removal). Variables examined were home-range size, daily movement rates, and distance to the nearest cut block for radio-collared individuals. Daily movement rates and individual winter range sizes decreased as timber harvesting progressed. Caribou avoided using recently fragmented areas by an average of 1.2 km. If fragmentation of the winter range continues through timber harvesting and other industrial activities, the "spacing out" antipredator strategy used by caribou may be compromised. Based on these findings, timber-harvesting strategies are recommended that (i) ensure an adequate area of usable habitat to support the current population, (ii) minimize the amount of fragmented area, and (iii) in the short term avoid presently defined core use areas.

SPILL IMPACT MITIGATION ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR OIL SPILL RESPONSE PLANNING IN THE ARCTIC ENVIRONMENT

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2017-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Robinson ◽  
William Gardiner ◽  
Richard J. Wenning ◽  
Mary Ann Rempel-Hester
Keyword(s):  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Response Planning ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Oil Spill Response ◽  
Different Response

ABSTRACT #2017-351 When there is risk for oil release into the marine environment, the priority for planners and responders is to protect human health and to minimize environmental impacts. The selection of appropriate response option(s) depends upon a wide range of information including data on the fate and behavior of oil and treated oil, the habitats and organisms that are potentially exposed, and the potential for effects and recovery following exposure. Spill Impact Management Assessment (SIMA; a refinement of Net Environmental Benefits Analysis, or NEBA, in the context of oil spill response) and similar comparative risk assessment (CRA) approaches provide responders a systematic method to compare and contrast the relative environmental benefits and consequences of different response alternatives. Government and industry stakeholders have used this approach increasingly in temperate and subtropical regions to establish environmental protection priorities and identify response strategies during planning that minimize impacts and maximize the potential for environmental recovery. Historically, the ability to conduct CRA-type assessments in the Arctic has been limited by insufficient information relevant to oil-spill response decision making. However, with an increased interest in shipping and oil and gas development in the Arctic, a sufficiently robust scientific and ecological information base is emerging in the Arctic that can support meaningful SIMA. Based on a summary of over 3,000 literature references on Arctic ecosystems and the fate and effects of oil and treated oil in the Arctic, we identify key input parameters supporting a SIMA evaluation of oil spill response in the Arctic and introduce a web portal developed to facilitate access to the literature and key considerations supporting SIMA.

The importance of the planktonic ecosystem of the North Sea in the context of oil and gas development

1987 ◽  
Vol 316 (1181) ◽  
pp. 587-602 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Demersal Fish ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Marine Food Chain ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Marine Food

Planktonic organisms are the primary source of food for the top level of the marine food chain, the fish. Yet only part of the plankton is ingested by fish, the remainder sediments to the bottom to provide food for benthic organisms (which may in turn be grazed by demersal fish) and to contribute to a detrital sink. Although the relative proportions of the plankton entering each of these compartments is still a matter of debate, some indication of its importance as a resource can be gauged from the North Sea fishery that has yielded 2-3 Mt per year since the mid-1960s. Calculations for the North Sea of the annual production of phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish and benthos as energy equivalents are contrasted with the annual energy yields of oil and gas. Since 1948 the plankton of the North Sea has been monitored at a depth of 10 m by the Continuous Plankton Recorder ( CPR ) survey. Results for two large areas which encompass the Brent, Beryl and Forties oilfields are presented. Between 1948 and 1982 the plankton of these areas showed similar large changes in population structure in both phytoplankton and zooplankton with almost tenfold changes in levels of biomass during this 35 year period. The development of oil-related activities is discussed in relation to the plankton time-series with comment on possible causes of the changes which are believed to be the result of natural variability.

scholarly journals Status of woodland caribou in western north America

Rangifer ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Janet Edmonds
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
North America ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Relative Distribution ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Woodland Caribou ◽  
Habitat Changes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Unknown Status ◽  
Management Approaches

A review of current population size and trends of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in seven jurisdictions in western North America shows a wide range of situations. A total maximum population estimate of woodland caribou west of the Ontario/Manitoba border is 61 090. Of 44 herds or populations described in this review: 14 are stable; two are stable to slightly decreasing; four are decreasing; four are increasing; and 22 are of unknown status. Caribou are classified as a threatened species in Alberta and as an endangered species in Washington/Idaho. The decline of caribou in North America following settlement (Bergerud, 1974) has continued along the southern edge of woodland caribou distribution. Direct loss of habitat to logging, mines and dams continued throughout the I960s, 1970s and 1980s. The secondary effects of these habitat changes, (i.e. increased roads leading to increased hunting and poaching, and increased early succession habitat leading to increased alternate prey/predator densities) has led in some cases to the total loss or decreased size of local herds. Three ecotypes of woodland caribou are described and their relative distribution delineated. These ecotypes live under different environmental conditions and require different inventory and management approaches. Woodland caribou herds in northern B.C., Yukon and N.W.T. generally are of good numbers and viable (stable or increasing), and management primarily is directed at regulating human harvest and natural predation to prevent, herd declines. Land use activities such as logging or energy development are not extensive. Managers in southern caribou ranges stress the need for a better understanding of caribou population stability within mixed prey/predator regimes; how habitat changes (eg. through logging) affect these regimes; and how to develop effective land use guidelines for resource extraction that can sustian caribou populations and maintain resource industries. Caribou managers have suggested that herds may be priorized for research and management efforts. Unstable, remnant populations may be left to their own fate. The limited research dollars available and difficult management decisions should be applied to caribou herds that are apparently sustainable and provide the greatest potential for long-term viability.

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