Boreal Caribou

Woodland caribou, Rangifer tarandus caribou, boreal population (referred to here as boreal caribou) are distributed throughout Canada’s boreal forest and are listed as threatened under the species at risk act (SARA 2003). Their current range spans seven provinces and two territories, from Inuvik NWT to the eastern shores of Labrador. Boreal caribou require large, continuous tracts of undisturbed habitat rich in mature to old-growth coniferous forests, lichens, peatlands, and upland or hilly areas. Habitat alteration (i.e., habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation) due to human activities and naturally occcuring events, as well as the resulting increase in predation, have led to local population declines throughout the boreal caribou's distribution in Canada. Some local populations of boreal caribou are also at risk because of over-harvest. Given the large scale, complexity and cross-boundary nature of boreal caribou conservation in Canada, success relies on organizations and individuals working together towards this common goal.

The National Boreal Caribou Knowledge Consortium

The National Boreal Caribou Knowledge Consortium (NBCKC) is a forum for collaborative knowledge generation and sharing to support the conservation and recovery of boreal caribou across Canada, which was established following the commitment outlined in the 2018 Federal Action Plan for boreal caribou. The NBCKC is coordinated by a secretariat housed in Environment and Climate Change Canada's Science and Technology Branch, but its direction is driven by its members, who are academics, Indigenous Peoples, government representatives, wildlife co-management boards, industry experts, and ENGOs. The NBCKC brings together experts and knowledge holders to share lessons learned, pool capacity, address knowledge gaps, and inform conservation and recovery of boreal caribou. The NBCKC has developed the Boreal Caribou Knowledge Portal in order to connect people to resources, as well as to improve communication and knowledge transfer between orgnaizations and individuals. On this portal you will find resources, tools and guidance to support conservation decision making and actions.

Contribute to the Boreal Caribou Knowledge Portal by submitting your projects, updates and resources. These will be added to a searchable resource archive and, if applicable, an interactive map of projects and contacts. You can also contribute to this portal by supporting the Canadian Conservation and Land Management Knowledge Portal or by contacting the NBCKC Secretariat to learn more.

Explore the Boreal Caribou Knowledge Portal: 

    • Try our interactive map to learn about boreal caribou projects across Canada or to add your project to the map

    • Browse recent resources to support your boreal caribou conservation and recovery work

    • Learn about recent news concerning boreal caribou

    • Learn about upcoming knowledge sharing events

The Boreal Caribou Knowledge Portal is a part of the Canadian Conservation and Land Management Knowledge Portal and is maintained by the NBCKC Secretariat.