This article highlights how West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations have successfully led the recovery of the Klinse-Za mountain caribou in their traditional territory after the population declined from around 250 in the 1990s to just 38 in 2013, impacting their treaty rights to harvest caribou. By combining short-term recovery strategies like predator reduction and maternity penning with long-term habitat protection, the Nations have more than doubled the population to 101 by 2021. Their leadership also secured a landmark conservation agreement in 2020, protecting over 85% of the Klinse-Za habitat. This initiative demonstrates how Indigenous governance can drive effective conservation, species recovery, and cultural revitalization.

Indigenous-led conservation: Pathways to recovery for the nearly extirpated Klinse-Za mountain caribou

Author: Clayton T. Lamb, Roland Willson, Carmen Richter, Naomi Owens-Beek, Julian Napoleon, Bruce Muir, R. Scott McNay, Estelle Lavis, Mark Hebblewhite, Line Giguere, Tamara Dokkie, Stan Boutin, Adam T. Ford

Year: 2022

Media Type: Report