New research shows continued habitat loss will drive caribou to extinction in B.C.

The endangered woodland caribou ofWestern Canada will be lost forever if direct action isn't taken soon,according to a new study funded in part byB.C., Alberta, and the federal government.

The study showsthat caribou have lost twice as much habitat as they've gained over the past 12 years. Research shows thatlogging, road building, forest fires and climate changeare the main factors driving the increased rate of habitat loss.

"The issue with caribou is that they really don't do well around things like logging or oil and gas development and road building," Jesse Zeman, director of fish and wildlife restoration with the B.C. Wildlife Federation said on CBC'sDaybreak South.

"What this paper tells us is that ... caribou over the long run is [getting] closer and closer to extinction as we move forward."

The B.C. Wildlife Federation hasbeen advocating for the government to take steps inpreventing habitat loss for caribou.Zeman says the government has known since the '70s that habitat loss is the biggest reason why caribou areheaded for extinction, but not enough has been done to prevent it.

"Both governments need to come out and either say, we want caribou on these landscapes and we're going to protect more habitat ... or we're going to give up. I think they need to be clearer to the public what their intent is."

'Not enough' habitat protection policies

Zeman said the study's data shows thatthe government's approach has been failing and caribou will go extinct if legislation, policies and plans aren't put in place to help slow habitat loss.

"We've got probably four decades of provincial and federal governments doing a lot of talking, and in this case what the data shows and what the science shows is that the talking is unsupported by action," he said.

Factors for habitat loss varybutZeman says there things we can do to mitigate the lossand help increase the number of caribou.

"Climate change will play a role, a wildfire will play a role, but we have control over these other mechanisms," he said."And we know that if we stop logging or manage it more sustainably, things will get better for caribou."

Zemansuggests the government release annual reports showing how much habitat they have saved or protected, which will allow Canadians to understand the objective, see the outcome,and know what's going on with the caribou population in B.C.

"If the approach is only Band-Aids and continued resource extraction in these areas, we will lose caribou," Zeman said.

Caribou a 'critical piece of culture'

Hunting caribou was once an important part of the cultureof the West Moberly First Nations.

"We used to hunt caribou, moose and elk and buffalo," West Moberly First Nations Chief RolandWilson said."And you would hunt them all at different times [because] they all mate at different times. During those times of importance, you would leave them alone. They were a pretty critical piece of our culture."

Because of theSpecies at Risk Act, he said members of the community have not been allowed to hunt or harvest caribou, which hasput pressure on the other animals.

"We've become more dependent on moose and elk," Wilson said. "When you look at conservation measures, you don't hunt an animal to the brink of extinction. You hunt them when you need them and then you let them recover."

Wilson said the community noticed a decrease in caribou in the late 1960s when BC Hydro'sflooding ofthe Williston Reservoir blockedthe caribou's migration route andfragmentedthe population.

He saysin order to stop caribou from disappearing forever, habitats needto be restored and development needs to be curtailed.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural ResourceOperations did not respond to a request for comment before publication.

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