SKIREBEL Magazine

A lifelong wildlife biologist who has studied caribou for decades has reported that the latest Canadian government recovery plan for the species appears to be doomed, due to conflicts with other land users, including heliskiers.
Dr. Lee Harding, formerly with Environment Canada but now working for environmental group ForestEthics said the latest plan by the Canadian government to save the species, had so far shown now positive results. Dr Harding claimed that two previous projects over the past 20 years had also failed to halt the decline in caribou numbers.
Dr Harding said caribou relied for habitat on old growth forest which was also used by loggers, snowmobilers and heliskiers and that new agreements for land use with these bodies would effectively nullify any gains made elsewhere.
There are just an estimated 1,900 southern mountain caribou left in British Columbia, down from approximately 5,000 about 20 years ago, according to Dr Harding.