Caribou case study offers a new model to manage species at risk

The paper, published last month in the journal Biological Conservation, uses a long-term dataset of caribou wearing GPS collars across Western Canada.

It identifies six distinct behavioural groups that would each deserve their own conservation actions.

"We took the approach of using behaviour to try to see if there are differences between individuals and groups that can be clustered into similarities," says lead author Margaret Hughes, a PhD candidate with the Department of Biological Sciences in the Faculty of Science.

"You can infer when and where they're going and try to infer why they are doing that based on what's actually out across the landscape."

The research determined whether the animals were migrating, how large of an area they were spending time in, and whether they were moving to different elevations.

Hughes says the data-driven approach showed slight differences from how caribou are managed in Western Canada.

Conservation managers often use genetic analysis to describe populations of at-risk caribou, but Hughes says the paper describes a more holistic approach that would also include behavioural analysis.

"It allows conservation managers to recognize ecologically meaningful variation within species, helping to maintain biodiversity and improve management strategies."

Caribou, called reindeer in Europe, are members of the deer family.

"The species is iconic," says Dr. Marco Musiani, PhD, a professor at the University of Bologna and an adjunct professor at UCalgary. "It is the most famous species affected by oil and gas and forestry in Canada and also climate change, and one of the most sensitive worldwide."

Musiani, a supervisor on Hughes' research, says the science is invaluable.

It suggests the novel approach holds promise for informing other conservation efforts.

"Our findings provide a framework that can be applied beyond caribou to other species at risk, helping to guide habitat protection, restoration, and even translocation strategies -- areas that are currently the focus of significant investments," explains Hughes.

As examples, she says it could inform where to put protected wildlife ecological corridors and conservation areas.

The paper involved other researchers from both the UCalgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and the Faculty of Science at UCalgary as well as the University of Bologna. It also included government researchers from the British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and the Canadian Wildlife Service.

The research covered a large area across the Rocky Mountains and boreal forest of Western Canada, particularly B.C.

Hughes adds that the work wouldn't have been possible without the help of the First Nations involved with the British Columbia Caribou Recovery Program.

"We acknowledge that this work took place throughout British Columbia, on the traditional territories of the First Nations where caribou currently exist."