New maps shine light on decline of Bathurst Caribou in the N.W.T.

Two newly published maps show the Bathurst caribou's changing migration patterns as their population rapidly decreases.

One of the maps was published in a digital global atlas on Dec. 18, as part of the Global Initiative on Ungulate Migration (GIUM). The atlas details the migration of a variety of species in almost every continent, and the Bathurst caribou route is one of its newest additions.

The other map, published in a fact sheet alongside the first map, indicates a substantial shrinkage of the overall range of migration since 2000.

The first map depicts the Bathurst caribou’s migration route over 27 years. It also shows the locations of diamond mines and other infrastructure, like the winter road that serves the mines and a proposed all-season road, in relation to the animal’s migration paths.

The Bathurst caribou population has decreased 98 per cent, from 400,000 animals to less than 8,000, in the past 30 years, according to GIUM.

More recently, a report released in November by the Northwest Territories government shows an almost 50 per cent decrease in the Bathurst caribou population over the last three years.

Elie Gurarie is the principal investigator for the Fate of the Caribou Project. He said that while some reasons may be more apparent than others, there simply isn’t one factor causing such a sharp decline in the herd's population. Rather, infrastructure like roads and mines, as well as climate change and predators, all play a role in the animal’s wellbeing.

“Caribou really dislike crossing roads. They really dislike being around or near mine infrastructure,” Gurarie said. “The places that caribou once visited a lot, they now visit a lot less because of this fragmentation and avoidance.”

The new map also shows a shift in the herd's migration path away from the boreal forest. GIUM indicates that this is likely due to climate change.

“The range has shrunk considerably,” said Gurarie. The range has “just contracted… around their traditional calving grounds, which are just west of the Bathurst Inlet.”

Through the years, as the population has visibly decreased, different mitigation measures have been put in place to stop the decline, including harvest restrictions, said Stephanie Behrens, the manager of lands protection and renewable energy resources for the Tłı̨chǫ government.

"Through all these management actions that we've implemented in trying to see the herd recover and still not being able to see them recover in what we hoped for is quite daunting and a little bit heartbreaking,” said Behrens.

She said in the future, it is important to look cumulatively at all of the factors impacting Bathurst caribou.

Behrens said the Tłı̨chǫ government will work toward a new joint management proposal with the N.W.T. government. The first step in this process will be to carry out community tours in order to get feedback from members.

“The Bathurst herd shrinking to such low numbers has a huge impact on our way of life and being able to practice our culture,” said Behrens. “It’s a part of our identity and if we don’t have that then we lose our identity as Dene people.”