Concern for declining numbers of Dolphin and Union caribou has resulted in the Arctic caribou population being listed as Endangered on the Northwest Territories (NWT) List of Species at Risk. This is the first time a species has been listed as Endangered under NWT species at risk legislation.
Dolphin and Union caribou were first added to the NWT List of Species at Risk in 2015 as a species of Special Concern. In 2023, they were reassessed by the Species at Risk Committee at a higher risk of extinction due to low numbers and increasing threats from climate change.
In the NWT, a species listed as Endangered requires a recovery strategy. A management plan is already in place for Dolphin and Union caribou in the NWT and Nunavut and will continue to provide guidance for the conservation of this species until a recovery strategy is in place. A progress report completed in 2023 documents the significant work that is already underway to conserve and recover Dolphin and Union caribou.
Adding a species to the NWT List of Species at Risk does not mean harvesting must stop. Harvest of Dolphin and Union caribou is already carefully managed by Inuit communities. Successful recovery of Dolphin and Union caribou will depend on the commitment and cooperation of many different groups with responsibility for wildlife and land management in the NWT and Nunavut and the communities that depend on them.
Photo: Xavier Fernandez Aguilar
Quick facts
- Dolphin and Union caribou are the only caribou that migrate seasonally across the frozen ocean between Arctic islands and the mainland of the NWT and Nunavut. Unstable sea ice and weather changes due to climate change are affecting their migration, distribution and access to food.
- A listing of Endangered in the NWT means Dolphin and Union caribou are facing imminent extinction. They may soon be gone from the NWT (and the world).
- The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) is the group of wildlife co-management boards and governments that share management responsibility for the conservation and recovery of species at risk in the NWT. All CMA decisions are made by consensus of the Management Authorities.
- The Management Authorities for Dolphin and Union caribou in the NWT are:
- The CMA plans to collaborate with the Government of Canada and management partners in Nunavut to develop a recovery strategy for Dolphin and Union caribou. The CMA has extended the completion date for the recovery strategy to August 1, 2027, to allow time to coordinate with partners and engage with communities and the public.
- In 2017, Dolphin and Union caribou were reassessed at the national level by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada as Endangered in Canada. A federal listing decision is pending.