The NWTSA国际影视传媒檚 Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) is taking new steps to protect the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 threatened boreal caribou population with the implementation of its first Interim Boreal Caribou Range Plan.
On March 22, the department announced that the first of five regional plans aimed at protecting the vulnerable boreal caribou population had been implemented in the WekSA国际影视传媒櫭╡zh谋虁谋 area, in the western Tlicho region, including the community of Gameti.
Most notably, the interim plan proposes different classes of protection for different regions based on the amount of human disturbance. The WekSA国际影视传媒櫭╡zh谋虁谋 region is considered the lowest tier, given the low risk to habitat posed by human activity in the region. There are also different grades of management for different sectors of each region. Under the interim plan, 55 per cent of the WekSA国际影视传媒櫭╡zh谋虁谋 region requires SA国际影视传媒渂asicSA国际影视传媒� management, 30 per cent requires SA国际影视传媒渆nhancedSA国际影视传媒� management, and 15 per cent requires SA国际影视传媒渋ntensiveSA国际影视传媒� management.
The plan also sets guidelines for the maximum amount of disturbance the caribou habitat can handle, whether it be from natural events like forest fires or human activity, such as resource extraction. In the case of the WekSA国际影视传媒櫭╡zh谋虁谋 area, the caribou habitat can withstand a maximum of 40 per cent disturbance SA国际影视传媒� in other words, at least 60 per cent of the habitat must remain undisturbed.
Each of the five regional plans is part of the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 broader 2017 boreal caribou recovery strategy, which is itself a product of the territorySA国际影视传媒檚 Species at Risk (NWT) Act.
According to ENRSA国际影视传媒檚 website, there are an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 boreal caribou left in the territory, and their population has declined significantly across most of Canada. The species is considered SA国际影视传媒渢hreatenedSA国际影视传媒� by both the federal government and the GNWT.
The interim plan will be in place through at least 2023 until the final plan is finished.
