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Ontario's Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan

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Ontario's Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario’s Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan Table of Contents Minister’s Message ......................................................................................... 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 2 Vision, Goal, Guiding Principles ...................................................................... 2 Scope and Scale of the Plan ........................................................................... 3 Aboriginal Peoples and Woodland Caribou ................................................... 3 Background ..................................................................................................... 4 Caribou Ecology .............................................................................................. 4 Habitat Management ...................................................................................... 6 Caribou Conservation through Adaptive Management – Actions to Achieve Protection and Recovery ................................................. 7 1.0 Enhance Caribou Science ...................................................... 7 2.0 Adopt a Range Management Approach ............................... 8 3.0 Improve Planning ................................................................ 10 4.0 Enhance Caribou Habitat .................................................... 14 5.0 Manage the Wildlife Community ........................................ 15 6.0 Focus on Geographic Priority Areas ................................... 16 7.0 Improve Outreach and Stewardship ................................... 16 8.0 Integrate Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge ...................... 17 Moving Forward … Implementation ............................................................ 18 For More Information ................................................................................... 21 Glossary of Terms .......................................................................................... 22 52582 ISBN 978-1-4435-1383-8 PDF 2 Minister’s Message I am proud to present Ontario’s Woodland Caribou Conservation Plan , which lays out a comprehensive, science-based and responsive long-term strategy for recovering Ontario’s Woodland Caribou. This plan builds on our province’s strong track record of species protection and our commitment to sustainability as a priority in all our planning. n n a m r e m m I would like to acknowledge the Ontario i T m i Woodland Caribou Recovery Team and T : o t the Woodland Caribou Science Review o h P Panel for providing very helpful advice Caribou crossing a creek in Northern Ontario. and support for the development of this plan. Many members of the public also participated in our public consultations. I thank everyone for their time and their considered input. Through the implementation of this plan we will be initiating a number of recovery actions that will involve Aboriginal peoples, the scientific community, resource industries, other stakeholders, the general public and ministry staff. A healthy caribou population is a good indicator of a healthy boreal forest. Ontario will continue to be a leader in caribou recovery and conservation in North America. I look forward to your continued involvement and support as we move forward. Hon. Donna Cansfield Minister of Natural Resources 1 h s i r r e G e e L : o t o h P Introduction Guiding Principles Woodland Caribou are native to Ontario’s The Caribou Conservation Plan is guided northern forests. They are an important by these principles: indicator of the healthy boreal forest I Adaptive management which Ontario’s Woodland ecosystem on which they rely. As one of combines science and the use of new Caribou Conservation several jurisdictions responsible for information to continuously improve Vision: managing the northern boreal forest, management over time. Ontario has an important role in I Ecosystem-based management that Self-sustaining caribou Woodland Caribou stewardship. considers all the natural factors that populations in a healthy affect and sustain caribou. The purpose of Ontario’s Woodland A healthy boreal forest that supports boreal forest. I Caribou Conservation Plan (Caribou self-sustaining caribou populations. Conservation Plan for this document) is to: I The precautionary principle, which I provide broad policy direction means that incomplete information regarding Woodland Caribou should not be used as a reason for Ontario’s Woodland conservation and recovery; delaying conservation action. Caribou Conservation I summarize the actions the I A focus on the long-term Goal Government of Ontario intends to sustainability of caribou ranges take in response to recommendations including the consideration of To maintain self-sustaining, in the Ontario Woodland Caribou cumulative impacts. genetically-connected local Recovery Strategy and the I Consideration of caribou population populations of Woodland government’s priorities in taking those health and habitat condition in Caribou (forest-dwelling actions (Government Response resource development decisions. boreal population) where Statement) 1; and I A science-based approach to caribou they currently exist, improve I outline initiatives to support recovery that recognizes existing security and connections Woodland Caribou recovery. knowledge and its limitations. A commitment to incorporating among isolated mainland I Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge in local populations, and decision-making where available. facilitate the return of caribou I Consideration of social, economic and to strategic areas near their environmental concerns in the current extent of occurrence. context of long-term caribou survival. 1. As per s. 11(8) of the Endangered Species Act , 2007, S.O. 2007, c.6 2 Scope and Scale of the Plan Aboriginal Peoples and collaboration with Aboriginal peoples. Woodland Caribou Ultimately, the participation and Ontario’s Woodland Caribou Conservation involvement of Aboriginal peoples will Plan provides policy direction for the Ontario is committed to Aboriginal enhance prospects for successful management and recovery of Woodland participation and involvement in caribou conservation and recovery of Woodland Caribou (forest-dwelling boreal recovery. Aboriginal peoples will continue Caribou in Ontario. population), and will apply to the areas of to play a unique role in Woodland continuous and discontinuous Caribou conservation and recovery For thousands of years, Woodland distribution shown in green in Figure 1. because of their close relationship with Caribou have been the dominant member Woodland Caribou (forest-dwelling the land, and their knowledge of and of the deer family in much of northern boreal population) are designated as interactions with caribou and other Ontario. Caribou have long held cultural, Threatened in Ontario under the animals. Implementation of the Caribou spiritual, social and subsistence Endangered Species Act , 2007 . Conservation Plan will be most effective in significance for many Aboriginal communities. Ontario is committed to providing opportunities for incorporating Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) Area of CCP application: into caribou recovery and meeting any Continuous Distribution constitutional obligations that may exist Discontinuous with respect to Aboriginal and Treaty Distrubution Forest-tundra woodland rights. caribou (not at risk) Forest-dwelling woodland caribou (Threatened) Figure 1. Area of application for the Caribou Conservation Plan shown in green. Note that there is some imprecision regarding the boundary between the forest-dwelling and forest-tundra ecotypes; the boundary as displayed is based upon the southern boundary of Wildlife Management Units 1A and 1B and closely approximates an ecological boundary. 3 Background Caribou Ecology Caribou have very large individual annual home ranges of Woodland Caribou live in the boreal Caribou habitat in the boreal forest is approximately 200-4,000 sq. km. forest and taiga (subarctic evergreen constantly changing. Much of the forest is forest) across northern Canada. They naturally in an unsuitable condition for range across much of northern Ontario, caribou at any one time, but caribou need with isolated populations as far south as and use the entire landscape over time as Lake Superior. Caribou were once habitat changes. Caribou habitat is a widespread across most of Ontario north shifting configuration of large patches of of Lakes Huron and Superior. Expanding mature forest, occupied by evergreen human settlement and development have trees such as Black Spruce and Jack Pine. resulted in significant habitat changes. Disturbances from fires, blowdown, and These changes have had a long-term insects can quickly change the amount negative impact on caribou by and distribution of habitat (Figure 2). fragmenting landscapes, changing forests, There is also great ecological variation in and creating ecological conditions that caribou habitat across the province benefit other wildlife at the expense of ranging from upland fire-dependent caribou. As much as 40-50 per cent of forests in the northwest to extensive the area of historic caribou distribution lowland forests in the northeast where has been lost in Ontario since the late fire is much less frequent. 1800s. All caribou in Ontario are considered Woodland Caribou, but there are two different types based on the way they use their habitat. Forest-dwelling Woodland Caribou live year-round in the boreal forest, typically
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