Status Report and Assessment of Wood Bison in the NWT (2016)
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SPECIES STATUS REPORT Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) Sakāwmostos (Cree) e ta oe (Sout Slave ) e en á e ejere, t a n a n’jere ( en sųł n ) Dachan tat w ’aak’ (Teetł’ t Gw ’ n) Aak’ , a antat aak’ (Gw a Gw ’ n) Łek'a e, łuk'a e, kedä- o’, ejed (Kaska ene) Ejuda (Slavey) Tl'oo tat aak'ii, dachan tat aak'ii, akki chashuur, nin shuurchoh, nin daa ha-an (Van Tat Gw ’ n) in the Northwest Territories Threatened April 2016 Status of Wood Bison in the NWT Species at Risk Committee status reports are working documents used in assigning the status of species suspected of being at risk in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Suggested citation: Species at Risk Committee. 2016. Species Status Report for Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) in the Northwest Territories. Species at Risk Committee, Yellowknife, NT. © Government of the Northwest Territories on behalf of the Species at Risk Committee ISBN: 978-0-7708-0241-7 Production note: The drafts of this report were prepared by Kristi Benson (traditional and community knowledge component) and Tom Chowns (scientific knowledge component), under contract with the Government of the Northwest Territories, and edited by Claire Singer, Michelle Ramsay and Kendra McGreish. For additional copies contact: Species at Risk Secretariat c/o SC6, Department of Environment and Natural Resources P.O. Box 1320 Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9 Tel.: (855) 783-4301 (toll free) Fax.: (867) 873-0293 E-mail: [email protected] www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca ABOUT THE SPECIES AT RISK COMMITTEE The Species at Risk Committee was established under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. It is an independent committee of experts responsible for assessing the biological status of species at risk in the NWT. The Committee uses the assessments to make recommendations on the listing of species at risk. The Committee uses objective biological criteria in its assessments and does not consider socio-economic factors. Assessments are based on species status reports that include the best available Aboriginal traditional knowledge, community knowledge and scientific knowledge of the species. The status report is approved by the Committee before a species is assessed. ABOUT THIS REPORT This species status report is a comprehensive report that compiles and analyzes the best available information on the biological status of wood bison in the NWT, as well as existing and potential threats and positive influences. Full guidelines for the preparation of species status reports, including a description of the review process, may be found at www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca. Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories, provides full administrative and financial support to the Species at Risk Committee. Cover illustration photo credit: Nic Larter, Environment and Natural Resources, GNWT Page 2 of 234 Status of Wood Bison in the NWT Assessment of Wood Bison The Northwest Territories Species at Risk Committee met in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories on April 7, 2016 and assessed the biological status of wood bison in the Northwest Territories. The assessment was based on this approved status report. The assessment process and objective biological criteria used by the Species at Risk Committee are available at: www.nwtspeciesatrisk.ca. Assessment: Threatened in the Northwest Territories Likely to become endangered in the Northwest Territories if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction. Reasons for the assessment: Wood bison fit criterion (c) for Threatened. (c) – There is evidence that the population size is small and there is a decline in population size such that it could disappear from the NWT in our children‟s lifetime. Main Factors: The entire wood bison population in the Northwest Territories is estimated at about 2,500 animals in three disjunct populations (Greater Wood Buffalo Ecosystem, Mackenzie and Nahanni). An overall decline of at least 10 percent (%) was estimated over the past three bison generations. An overall decline of 50% was estimated over the most recent bison generation. In the most recent bison generation, only the small Nahanni population has shown an increase. The main threats are: o Three infectious bacterial diseases are currently of concern to the conservation of wood bison in the NWT (anthrax (Bacillus anthracis), bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis), and bovine brucellosis (Brucella abortus)). The 2012 anthrax outbreak is of particular concern for the Mackenzie population. o Predation primarily by wolves and bears, especially on newborn calves. o Human-caused mortality, including bison-vehicle collisions, disease management actions and harvest contribute cumulative threats to wood bison. o Various factors may contribute to a loss of meadow habitat (e.g., changes in floods/drawdowns, fire regime, snow pack and water levels, and increased shrub encroachment). Page 3 of 234 Status of Wood Bison in the NWT Additional Factors: Future road encroachment in wood bison habitat may increase the zone of influence of human activity, especially for the Greater Wood Buffalo Ecosystem and Mackenzie populations. Anticipated future industrial development and corridors within certain segments of wood bison habitat may adversely impact wood bison populations in the NWT. The NWT is home to an estimated 32% of the global/continental population of wood bison. Positive influences to wood bison and their habitat: Traditional management practices, land use planning initiatives, forestry remediation, fire management, co-management initiatives, and the bison-free buffer zone between Wood Buffalo National Park and the Mackenzie Wood Bison Sanctuary are all seen as positive influences on wood bison. Recommendations: Increase the number of surveys to better track population numbers. Deploy radio collars to better track movements, distribution and adult survival. Predator management should be considered. Harvest management needs to continue. Local/community or Aboriginal involvement in any management planning needs to continue or be enhanced. Investigate ways to reduce bison-vehicle collisions. Continue with the careful management of disease and further investigation of options for preventing and mitigating disease outbreaks (e.g., anthrax). Page 4 of 234 Status of Wood Bison in the NWT Table of Contents Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 9 Technical Summary ...................................................................................................................... 18 Traditional and Community Knowledge Component ................................................................... 28 Preamble .................................................................................................................................... 28 Species overview ....................................................................................................................... 28 Names and classification ....................................................................................................... 28 Description............................................................................................................................. 29 Distribution ............................................................................................................................ 30 NWT Distribution .............................................................................................................. 30 Search effort ....................................................................................................................... 34 Biology and Behaviour.............................................................................................................. 35 Habitat requirements.............................................................................................................. 35 Movements ............................................................................................................................ 37 Life cycle and reproduction ................................................................................................... 43 Physiology and adaptability................................................................................................... 43 Interactions ............................................................................................................................ 44 State and Trends ........................................................................................................................ 49 Population .............................................................................................................................. 49 Abundance ......................................................................................................................... 49 Trends and fluctuations ...................................................................................................... 49 Population dynamics .......................................................................................................... 49 Possibility of rescue ........................................................................................................... 49 Habitat ................................................................................................................................... 50 Habitat availability ............................................................................................................