Overview

The Bathurst caribou herd has undergone a significant decline in recent years, with a decrease of more than 98% since 1986. The Bathurst Caribou Management Plan is a response to calls for action to help the herd recover and make sure its habitat remains healthy.

The plan was developed under the direction of the Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee. It builds on the recommendations of the 2019 Bathurst Caribou Range Plan and brings together important knowledge and insight from guardianship initiatives and community-based monitoring programs across the Bathurst caribou range.

Goals

The Bathurst Caribou Management Plan makes recommendations for the recovery and long-term well-being of the Bathurst barren-ground caribou herd across the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Saskatchewan.

The plan recognizes the role of Indigenous peoples and other northerners as caribou guardians and the shared responsibility for managing human actions to support the recovery and well-being of the herd.

The management plan describes five ways we can take action:

• Harvest: Ensure harvest levels are sustainable and caribou are conserved over time.
• Habitat and Disturbance: Manage land use and disturbance to caribou so the herd is conserved within its natural range.
• Predators: Reduce the impact of predators on caribou based on the best available information, and reflecting Indigenous values and laws.
• Research and Monitoring: Learn more about Bathurst caribou, their habitat, and relationships with other species.
• Communication and Education: Educate people about Bathurst caribou conservation and respectful harvesting and land use.

Taking Action Based On Herd Status

The management plan outlines specific actions to help the Bathurst herd recover.

These actions are based on herd status. Six herd status levels are defined by the number of caribou in the herd and whether the population is increasing or decreasing.

If the Bathurst herd is decreasing or at low numbers, there will be stronger actions taken to protect the herd. If the herd is increasing or at high numbers, actions will be adjusted to reflect the health of the herd.

Herd status and management actions will be reviewed annually to make sure we are on the right track.

The herd status categories are:

• Critical low – less than 30,000 animals
• Low and increasing – between 30,000 and 100,000 animals (population increasing)
• Medium and increasing – between 100,000 and 350,000 animals (population increasing)
• High – more than 350,000
• Medium and decreasing – between 100,000 and 350,000 (population decreasing)
• Low and decreasing – between 30,000 and 100,000 (population decreasing)

Bathurst Caribou Advisory Committee

The BCAC was formed in 2017. It is made up of 18 governments and organizations from the NWT, Nunavut and Saskatchewan representing communities that have traditionally interacted with the Bathurst caribou herd.

Together, they developed this plan and will put it into action.

The committee includes:

Public Governments

• Government of the Northwest Territories
• Government of Nunavut
• Government of Canada (Parks Canada)

Indigenous Governments and Organizations

• Tłı̨chǫ Government
• Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
• Athabasca Denesųłiné Néné Land Corporation
• Yellowknives Dene First Nation
• Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation
• Northwest Territory Métis Nation
• North Slave Métis Alliance
• Salt River First Nation
• Deninu K'ųę́ First Nation

Other Management Authorities

• Wek’èezhìı Renewable Resources Board
• Kitikmeot Regional Wildlife Board
• Kugluktuk Angoniatit Association (Hunters and Trapper Organization)
• Umingmaktok Hunters and Trappers Organization (Bay Chimo)
• Burnside Hunters and Trappers Organization (Bathurst Inlet)
• Ekaluktutiak Hunters and Trappers Organization (Cambridge Bay)