Statutory Report on Wildlife to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Section 176 of the Wildlife Act
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Statutory Report on Wildlife to the Nunavut Legislative Assembly Section 176 of the Wildlife Act 1.0 Review of Wildlife and Habitat Management Programs for Terrestrial Species in Nunavut…………………………………………………………….1 1.1 Wildlife Act and Wildlife Regulations………………………………………………..2 1.2 Qikiqtaaluk Region……………………………………………………………………2 1.2.1 Qikiqtaaluk Research Initiatives…………………………………………………….2 a. Peary caribou………………………………………………………………………….2 b. High Arctic muskox…………………………………………………………………...3 c. North Baffin caribou…………………………………………………………………..4 1.2.2 Qikiqtaaluk Management Initiatives………………………………………………...5 a. Peary Caribou Management Plan……………………………………………………...5 b. High Arctic Muskox…………………………………………………………………..5 c. South Baffin Management Plan……………………………………………………….6 1.3 Kitikmeot Region……………………………………………………………………...8 1.3.1 Kitikmeot Research Initiatives………………………………………………………9 a. Wolverine and Grizzly bear Hair Snagging………………………………………….. 9 b. Mainland Caribou Projects……………………………………………………………9 c. Boothia Caribou Project……………………………………………………………...10 d. Dolphin and Union Caribou Project……………………............................................10 e. Mainland and Boothia Peninsula Muskoxen………………………………………...11 f. Harvest and Ecological Research Operational System (HEROS)…………………...12 g. Vegetation Mapping……………………………………………………………….....12 1.3.2 Kitikmeot Management Initiatives…………………………………………………12 a. Grizzly Bear Management…………………………………………………………...12 b. Bluenose East Management Plan…………………………………………………….12 c. DU Caribou Management Plan………………………………………………………13 d. Muskox Status and Management Review in the Kitikmeot………………………….13 1.4 Kivalliq Region………………………………………………………………………14 1.4.1 Kivalliq Research Initiatives……………………………………………………….14 a. Qamanirjuaq Caribou Monitoring Program, Qamanirjuaq Caribou Classification Studies, and Qamanirjuaq Condition and Disease Monitoring……….14 b. Beverly Caribou Population Monitoring Studies…………………………………….16 c. Northeast Mainland Caribou Collaring and Delineation Studies…………………….17 i d. Southampton Island Caribou Condition Studies, Southampton Island Population Monitoring Studies…………………………………………………………………...18 e. Nunavut Wide Ungulate Genetic Studies……………………………………………20 f. Central Kivalliq and Northeast Kitikmeot Muskox Studies…………………………22 g. Kivalliq Wide Ecological Land Classification Studies……………………………... 24 h. The “Journey of the Caribou” CD……………………………………………………26 1.5 Carnivores……………………………………………………………………………29 1.5.1 Nunavut Carnivore Research Program: Wolverine, Grizzly Bear, Arctic Fox and Wolf……………………………………………………………….29 a. Inuit Knowledge……………………………………………………………………. 29 b. Wolverine Carcass Collection………………………………………………………..29 c. Grizzly bear Harvest Study…………………………………………………………. 29 d. Kivalliq Grizzly Bear TK…………………………………………………………… 30 e. Wolf and Arctic Fox Population Delineation and Movements……………………... 30 1.6 Polar Bears (Ursus maritimus)……………………………………………………… 31 1.6.1 Polar Bear Research Initiatives…………………………………………………… 31 a. Davis Strait Population Inventory…………………………………………………... 31 b. Foxe Basin Population Inventory………………………………………………….... 31 c. Western Hudson Bay Population Reconnaissance………………………………….. 32 d. Polar Bear Harvest Program………………………………………………………... 32 1.6.2 Polar Bear Management Initiatives………………………………………………...33 a. 15-year Polar Bear Population Inventory Cycle……………………………………. 33 b. Wildlife Regulations………………………………………………………………... 34 1.7 Other Terrestrial Species……………………………………………………………. 35 1.8. Interim and Final Reports, Recent Publications, and Research Initiatives………… 35 2.0 Effectiveness of the Relationships Among the Various Persons and Organizations Managing Wildlife and Wildlife Habitat…………………………....36 2.1 Nunavut’s Wildlife and Habitat Co-management System………………………….. 36 3.0 Trends and Forecast of Use of Wildlife Resources in Nunavut……………………...40 4.0 Capability of Nunavut Wildlife Resources to Meet Anticipated Demands………… 43 ii 4.1 Barren-Ground Caribou……………………………………………………………...49 a. Bluenose East Caribou Herd…………………………………………………………50 b. Bathurst Caribou Herd……………………………………………………………… 51 c. Ahiak Caribou Herd………………………………………………………………….51 d. Dolphin and Union Caribou Herd……………………………………………………51 e. Arctic Island Caribou……………………………………………………………….. 52 f. Qamanirjuaq Caribou Herd…………………………………………………………. 52 g. Beverly Caribou Herd………………………………………………………………. 54 h. Lorillard and Wager Caribou Herds (Northeast Mainland)……………………….... 55 i. Southampton Island Caribou Herd…………………………………………………. 57 j. Coats Island Caribou Herd…………………………………………………………. 60 k. Baffin Island Caribou Populations………………………………………………….. 61 4.2 Peary Caribou……………………………………………………………………….. 62 a. PC/01 ……………………………………………………………………………….. 63 b. PC/02 ………………………... ……………………………………………………..63 c. PC/03………………………………………….……………………………………. 64 d. PC/04 ……………………………………..………………………………………… 64 e. PC/05 …………………………………………………….………………………..... 64 f. PC/06 …………………………………………..…………………………………… 65 4.3 Muskox……………………………………………………………………………... 65 a. Kitikmeot Muskox………………………………………………………………….. 65 b. Central Kivalliq and Northeast Kitikmeot Muskox………………………………… 65 c. Arctic Islands Muskox……………………………………………………………… 68 4.4 Polar Bears …………………………………………………………………………..70 a. Davis Strait …………………………………………………………………………..71 b. Northern Beaufort Sea……………………………………………………………… 71 c. Norwegian Bay……………………………………………………………………... 72 d. Viscount Melville Sound ……………………………………………………………72 e. Lancaster Sound…………………………………………………………………….. 73 f. M’Clintock Channel………………………………………………………………… 73 g. Gulf of Boothia……………………………………………………………………... 73 h. Foxe Basin………………………………………………………………………….. 73 i. Western Hudson Bay ………………………………………………………………..74 j. Southern Hudson Bay………………………………………………………………. 74 k. Kane Basin …………………………………………………………………………..74 l. Baffin Bay…………………………………………………………………………... 75 4.5 Grizzly Bear …………………………………………………………………………75 4.6 Wolverine…………………………………………………………………………… 76 iii 4.7 Wolf …………………………………………………………………………………77 4.8 Foxes…………………………………………………………………………………77 4.9 Raptors……………………………………………………………………………….77 4.10 Other Terrestrial Species…………………………………………………………... 79 5.0 Assessment of the State of Biodiversity in Nunavut ……………………………......79 5.1. United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity………………………………. 80 5.2 Canadian Biodiversity Strategy ……………………………………………………..80 5.3 The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC)…………………………... 81 5.4 National General Status Working Group ……………………………………………84 a. Vascular Plants……………………………………………………………………… 85 b. Freshwater Mussels ………………………………………………………………….86 c. Odonates …………………………………………………………………………….87 d. Butterflies ……………………………………………………………………………87 e. Fishes ………………………………………………………………………………..87 f. Amphibians ………………………………………………………………………….88 g. Reptiles ……………………………………………………………………………...88 h. Terrestrial Mammals ………………………………………………………………..88 i. Birds …………………………………………………………………………………89 5.5 Federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) ………………………………………………..90 5.6 Role of COESWIC………………………………………………………………….. 91 5.7 Assessment and Listing Process …………………………………………………….92 5.8 Recovery of Species at Risk …………………………………………………………94 iv 5.9 Bi-Lateral Agreement and SARA…………………………………………………... 95 5.10 Nunavut Species at Risk Legislation and the Nunavut Species at Risk Advisory Committee ……………………………………………...95 5.11 Review of the Compliance and Enforcement Activities under the Wildlife Act ………………………………………………………………95 5.12 Capacity issues in Meeting the Government of Nunavut’s Conservation and Public Mandate………………………………………………… 96 Appendix I. Literature Cited, Reports, and Journal Publications……………………... 99 Appendix II. Research Initiatives and Status………………………………………….. 107 Appendix III. Estimating Demand for Wildlife for Nunavut Communities………….. 118 List of Figures Figure 1. Barren-ground caribou populations in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut….…………………………………………………………19 Figure 2. The Northern and Central Kivalliq Muskox Survey Study Areas and Muskox management units………..………………………..23 Figure 3. Landsat 7 and Landsat TM scenes sampled as of August 2006...…………………………………………………………………26 Figure 4. Project location figure from “Journey of The Caribou” CD………………….27 Figure 5. An Example of Features within the CD Animation Page……………...……...28 Figure 6. Spring Recruitment Measured as Calves per 100 Cows Based on Periodic Spring Classification Between 1993 and 2006…………………...53 Figure 7. Population Estimates Based on Calving Ground Delineation Flights over both the Lorillard and Wager Spring Range……………………..57 v Figure 8. A History of Survey Results of the Southampton Island Caribou…………….60 Figure 9. The Commission for Environmental Protection (CEC) Priority Conservation Regions of North America identified Two Priority Areas in Nunavut (CEC 2003)………………………………………………... 83 Figure 10. General Status of Vascular Plant Species in Nunavut…….………………….86 Figure 11. General Status of Butterfly Species in Nunavut…..………………………….87 Figure 12. General Status of Terrestrial Mammal Species in Nunavut……………….....89 Figure 13. General Status of Birds in Nunavut….………………………………………90 List of Tables Table 1. Schedule and Status of Polar Bear Inventories in Nunavut…………………... 33 Table 2. Nunavut Communities Terrestrial Wildlife Resources Needs ……………….. 42 Table 3. Current Average Removal Rates as Number of Individuals per Year for some of the Main Wildlife Categories in Nunavut…………………………. 44 Table 4. The Projected (estimated) Average Annual Demand and Sustainable Removal Capacity for the Next 5 Years for Nunavut Terrestrial Wildlife…….45 Table 5. The Projected capacity of Nunavut Terrestrial Wildlife to Meet User Group Demands Over the Next 5 Years………………………………………. 47 Table 6. Summary of