The Conference of Management Authorities has released a strategy to guide the long-term conservation and recovery of Peary caribou, a Threatened species in the Northwest Territories (NWT).
Peary caribou live in small groups on the Arctic islands of the NWT and Nunavut and require large areas of land and sea ice to thrive. Their populations declined steeply between the 1960s and the 1990s. Over the last 20 years there have been sustained low numbers; however, there is recent evidence of an increase in numbers on the Queen Elizabeth Islands and Banks Island.
The Recovery Strategy for Peary Caribou in the Northwest Territories is the result of a collaborative effort by wildlife management authorities responsible for Peary caribou in the NWT. It is based on the Government of Canada’s recovery strategy for Peary caribou, released in 2022, and shares the same population and distribution objectives as the national strategy. The NWT strategy also points to updated information available in the 2022 NWT species status report and highlights work that is already underway to conserve Peary caribou in the NWT.
There are no automatic prohibitions or protections as part of the recovery strategy. The recovery strategy does not change quotas, by-laws or regulations already in place. Successful recovery of Peary caribou in the NWT will depend on the commitment and cooperation of the groups with responsibility for the management of land, water and wildlife in the NWT, together with communities. Progress on implementation will be reported on every five years, as required under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act.
The Conference of Management Authorities has until April 29, 2025, to develop a consensus agreement identifying the actions they plan to take to implement the recovery strategy.
Management authorities for Peary caribou are: Wildlife Management Advisory Council (NWT) and the Government of the Northwest Territories.
Photo: John Nagy/GNWT