Woodland caribou recovery strategies will continue to be developed and implemented this year.
Woodland caribou are classified as a threatened species.
While Canada has a national recovery strategy, Saskatchewan is developing its own to protect the ungulates habitat.
Part of that strategy is an attempt to reduce human caused disturbances.
“Determining how caribou react to things like noise or sensory disturbance. [And] If there are activities we can do on the land to minimize that,” said Brant Kirychuck the Executive Director of the Fish, Wildlife and Lands Branch. “Monitoring both how our work is changing the landscape and also affecting population dynamics in the long term.”
The Ministry warns that forest harvesting can create habitat loss, while urban and industrial development may lead to permanent habitat loss.
Kirychuck says the Ministry wants to understand connectivity such as roads and possibly draw this activity away from habitat areas, or even the restoration of disturbed areas.
As part of the Sask. recovery plan officials will seek to get clarity on when range of caribou and how they move throughout their life and how the animals use their habitat. Biologists will also need an accurate census of the caribou in developing their range plans for recovery strategies.