What is the NACW?
The North American Caribou Workshop (NACW) is held every two years, and this year’s virtual instalment featured participants from North America and Europe. Industry, researchers, Indigenous community representatives, resource managers, and decision-makers came together to discuss and share learnings, ideas, and the challenges of caribou conservation.
Why is the NACW important?
Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), boreal and southern mountain populations, are currently listed as threatened in Canada. Due to their life history strategies and low reproductive rates, caribou are very sensitive to landscape conditions that directly or indirectly affect their habitat and are facing pressures from the cumulative effects of natural and human disturbances on the landscape. The NACW brings together the most advanced scientific and Indigenous knowledge available regarding caribou population management, conservation, and recovery that enables resource managers, decision-makers, and innovators like us to develop solutions to complex land management challenges around caribou recovery.
Key highlights from the NACW
The 3-day conference featured daily keynote speakers and four streams of concurrent technical sessions on a variety of topics including habitat, behaviour, population dynamics, policy, and a dedicated stream sharing Indigenous knowledge and stories. It was great to see how western science and Traditional Knowledge are being incorporated to improve caribou conservation, including several initiatives right here in Alberta
Silvacom was able to feature two projects we’ve been working on, including a multi-indicator modelling framework to support collaborative caribou recovery planning and an innovative caribou habitat restoration trial in Alberta.
A key theme from the workshop presentations was research in the area of conservation behaviour of caribou. Caribou change their behaviour in response to human activity, habitat type, and location. Different habitat disturbance types can have different effects on populations, for example, natural vs. anthropogenic disturbances. This means that different strategies are needed for effective management and further stresses the need for a variety of recovery actions depending on each unique situation.
Ready to learn more about linear restoration and caribou recovery?
The North American Caribou Workshop proved again to be a great opportunity to expand our knowledge base, present our research, and further understand how to manage caribou effectively. We are excited to continue to work with industry, government, and Indigenous communities to push forward with effective caribou recovery in Canada.
Want to learn more about our Linear Restoration Services and how they support caribou habitat recovery? Download our Linear Restoration Services Information sheet by clicking the image below!
