The Northwest Territories (NWT) Conference of Management Authorities (CMA), established under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act to manage and recover species at risk in the NWT, has reached consensus to add northern mountain caribou to the NWT List of Species at Risk as a species of Special Concern. Northern mountain caribou refers to the northern mountain population of woodland caribou.
The signed consensus agreement articulating this decision was provided to the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) on April 29, 2021. In accordance with this consensus agreement, the Minister legally listed northern mountain caribou on July 29, 2021.
Northern mountain caribou will be listed for a term of 10 years. Adding a species to the NWT List of Species at Risk does not result in any automatic prohibitions or protections for the species or its habitat.
The listing of northern mountain caribou as Special Concern means a management plan must be developed within two years of listing. There is already a national management plan and a regional community-based planning process that could help fulfill this requirement.
Additional species information and supporting documentation, including the status report, assessment, and consensus agreement, are available at www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca.
Quick facts:
- Wildlife management authority in the NWT is shared between the Government of the Northwest Territories (through the Department of ENR), Government of Canada, wildlife co-management boards established under settled land claim agreements, and the Tłı̨chǫ Government.
- The CMA bring together all these organizations (called Management Authorities) to make decisions on listing, conserving, managing, and recovering species that may be at risk of disappearing from the NWT.
- All CMA decisions are made by consensus of the Management Authorities.
- The Management Authorities for northern mountain caribou are:
- Gwich’in Renewable Resources Board
- Sahtú Renewable Resources Board
- Government of the Northwest Territories