Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations
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UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations by Delaney P. Boyd A MASTER’S DEGREE PROJECT SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN (ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE) FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN CALGARY, ALBERTA APRIL, 2003 Delaney P. Boyd 2003 APPROVAL FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN The undersigned certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Environmental Design for acceptance, a Master’s Degree Project entitled “Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations” submitted by Delaney P. Boyd in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Environmental Design (Environmental Science). Supervisor, (C. Cormack Gates, Faculty of Environmental Design) (Kevin Lloyd, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Faculty of Environmental Design) Dean’s Examiner (Stephen Herrero, EVDS Professor Emeritus) Date ii ABSTRACT Conservation of North American Bison: Status and Recommendations by Delaney P. Boyd Prepared in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree in the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary Supervisor C. Cormack Gates The bison (Bos bison) was the dominant keystone herbivore on much of the North American landscape, providing sustenance and materials for many of North America’s original human residents, and staple food for early explorers, fur traders, and European settlers. Political, economic, and environmental forces accompanying European colonization conspired to drive the species to near extinction by the close of the 19th Century. Recovery efforts during the 20th Century salvaged the species; now there are over 500,000 bison scattered across North America in remnant and reintroduced herds. At least 95% of the existing bison population is under commercial production. This project was initiated by the Bison Specialist Group of North America (BSG), which is an assemblage of bison specialists, operating under the auspices of the Species Survival Commission (SSC). There is currently no unified conservation plan for bison in North America. The BSG requires a status survey as the basis for developing a bison conservation strategy for North America. This status assessment includes plains and wood bison herds managed by municipal, state, provincial, and federal governments, and several herds managed by private organizations with clear conservation objectives. Through a process of iterative consultation with members of the BSG and other collaborators, dialogue with conservation herd managers across North America, and extensive compilation and review of relevant literature, this document represents a current and comprehensive treatment of North American bison status. The survey addresses the taxonomic, numerical, geographic, demographic, habitat, genetic, iii disease, and legal status of bison. Although bison are no longer in imminent danger of extinction, there are threats to the persistence of bison as a wild species. The most evident pressures affecting bison include habitat loss from agricultural development and other intensive land use, reduction in genetic diversity, hybridization, domestication through commercial bison production, disease, and inconsistent legislation and policies. Current bison recovery initiatives are reviewed. The status survey concludes with a list of conservation action recommendations to assist the BSG with setting priorities for bison conservation. Key Words: plains bison, wood bison, conservation status, recovery, IUCN, SSC, Bison Specialist Group. iv Acknowledgements Successful completion of this project relied on the contributions of numerous people from across North America and in Gland, Switzerland. I would like to acknowledge the support and feedback provided by members of the World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission’s (IUCN/SSC) Bison Specialist Group. As well, IUCN/SSC staff members Carolina Caceres, Assistant to the Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, in Hull, Quebec, and Mariano Gimenez Dixon, SSC Programme Officer at the IUCN Secretariat in Gland, Switzerland, were very helpful throughout development of the status survey. I would like to thank all bison herd managers and biologists who provided information on the plains and wood bison conservation herds included in this survey. Thanks also go out to other project collaborators including Al Arsenault of Saskatchewan Environment, Barry Opekokew of Canoe First Nation, and Pat Fargey, Dan Frandsen, Dave Poll, Rob Watt, and Cliff White of Parks Canada Agency. I would like to express my gratitude to the funding partners for this project: Parks Canada, the United States National Parks Service, and University of Calgary. My Master’s Degree Project committee members were very enthusiastic and helpful. I would like to thank Kevin Lloyd for his insightful reviews of my manuscript and for providing international perspectives on the overall project. My supervisor Cormack Gates shared with me his enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, bison conservation. I would like to thank him for his support and encouragement throughout the project. I would especially like to thank my husband Kevin Burton, my parents Ron and Joy Boyd, and my family and friends for their understanding and support of my educational goals. v Table of Contents Approval.............................................................................................................. ii Abstract.............................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements............................................................................................ v Table of Contents .............................................................................................. vi List of Figures..................................................................................................... x List of Tables ..................................................................................................... xi List of Common Abbreviations ....................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction...................................................................................... 1 Context for Bison Conservation.....................................................................................1 Project Context..............................................................................................................2 Purpose.........................................................................................................................3 Objectives......................................................................................................................3 MDP Interventions.........................................................................................................4 Scope of the Status Assessment ..................................................................................4 Definition of Status ........................................................................................................5 MDP Overview ..............................................................................................................6 Chapter 2: Approach and Methods ................................................................... 7 Project Framework ........................................................................................................7 MDP Interventions.........................................................................................................7 Methodological Framework ...........................................................................................8 Collaboration Process ...................................................................................................8 Design and Establishment.........................................................................................8 Communication .......................................................................................................10 Website ...................................................................................................................10 Information Acquisition Process..................................................................................12 Literature Acquisition...............................................................................................12 Questionnaire Development and Application ..........................................................13 Outreach..................................................................................................................14 vi Information Analysis and Compilation Process...........................................................15 Data Organization ...................................................................................................15 Mapping...................................................................................................................17 Report Structure ......................................................................................................17 Writing .....................................................................................................................17 Chapter 3: Bison in the North American Context .......................................... 19 Pre-historic Context.....................................................................................................19 Historical Context ........................................................................................................20