Wild reindeer and caribou on the Arctic islands Anne Gunn, Ivan Mizin, Åshild Ønvik Pedersen, Justina Ray CARMA, WWF Russia, Norwegian Polar Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Svalbard reindeer (Not At Risk) SUMMARY • Annual population counts in three areas on • The Arctic Basin is huge (8M km 2) & has 6 archipelagos + coastal Canadian Arctic Islands Spitsbergen, but lack of data for other islands: Svalbard 61,022 km 2; Russia 144,000 km 2; Canada 780,000 (excluding Baffin Island) areas/islands including Edgeøya Island km 2 • No predators; non-migratory; 60% glaciated, • Diverse as three endemic sub-species ( R.t. platyrhynchus . R.t. pearyi Peary caribou (Threatened) inhabit all non-glaciated areas including isolated and R.t. pearsoni ): either non-migratory or migratory including inter- • Periodic winter die-offs on western islands peninsulas, lowland valleys islands/mainland over sea-ice • Limited or no recovery on southern islands • Periodic die-offs during icing events Brøggerhalvøya Reindalen Adventdalen • Russia and Canada report long-term declines in abundance. • Overall 35% decline 1987–2015 1400 • Marked differences in degree of annual monitoring and hence high • Current (2014) estimate 13,700 caribou 1200 degree of uncertainty (except for some areas in Svalbard) • Hunting on eastern & southern islands 1000 • Severe and strongly seasonal climate that is rapidly changing • Wolves present on most islands 800 600 60 400 Peary caribou trend (1000s) 200 Climate zones above the treeline 50 0 40 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 Russia 30 Novaya Zemlya Archipelago 20 • Two populations including the unique R.t. pearsoni 10 (Recovered/Rare) & wild reindeer which genetically incorporate a historic introduction of 0 domesticated reindeer 1965 1987 1996 2004 2015 • Historically, 20,000 wild reindeer Dolphin & Union caribou (Endangered) • Currently (2015) estimated 5,000 • Only occurs on Victoria Island Franz Josef Land • Migrates across sea ice to winter on mainland • Little known wild reindeer • 47% decline between 1997 and 2015 Severnaya Zemlya • Current estimate 18,400 (2015) • 1000-1,500 wild reindeer Sources New Siberian Islands Canadian information: www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate- • Currently, 1–1,500 wild reindeer change/services/committee-status-endangered-wildlife/status-reports.html Svalbard: www.mosj.no/en/fauna/terrestrial/svalbard-reindeer-population.html • Historically, large changes in numbers Russia : Davydov A.V. , Mizin I.A. , Sipko T.P ., Gruzdev A.R . (In prep.) Map: www.arcticatlas.org/index and help from Graeme Pelchat. Wrangel Island Typeset in Gill Sans MT • No wild reindeer; currently 300 feral domesticated reindeer