This poster was presented at the National Boreal Caribou Workshop in Anchorage, Alaska, in May 2023
British Columbia’s boreal caribou ranges fall within the traditional lands of the Treaty 8 First Nations who have long expressed a desire to recover boreal caribou to self-sustaining and subsistence hunting levels. From the 1990s to 2020, aerial surveys were conducted in BC boreal caribou ranges to calculate calf recruitment, and adult females were collared to assess survival. Because sightability is low in boreal habitat, obtaining population estimates through aerial surveys is difficult. As such, BC uses adult female survival and calf recruitment to assess trends, but does not provide population estimates for boreal caribou.
In 2021, discussions with Fort Nelson First Nation, Prophet River First Nation, Doig River First Nation, Blueberry River First Nation, and the BC Caribou Recovery Program, led to the implementation of a non-invasive DNA capture-recapture project. This involves collecting fecal pellets that are located at cratering sites, and genotyping them to obtain individual genetic profiles.
Several objectives were identified:
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Implementing a pilot project in a small boreal range (Westside Fort Nelson) to obtain a strong population estimate for the population;
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Characterizing genetic patterns (structure, diversity) in the population;
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Characterizing movement patterns identified through traditional knowledge (seasonal migration between boreal and mountain habitat) via genetics tools;
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Comparing the genetic information with telemetry data from collared animals;
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Providing options for a similar methodology to be implemented in other boreal ranges in BC.
The population estimates obtained from this work will complement the recruitment information from aerial surveys. Both the population estimates and genetics characterization data will provide a more accurate picture of the status and movements of boreal caribou in BC, which will help inform future actions that will support boreal caribou recovery.