Spatial factors influencing northern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus) survival and distribution in the Telkwa Range

• Other Authors: Grant, Laura Vivian (Author), Johnson, Christopher (Thesis advisor), University of Northern British Columbia College of Science and Management (Degree granting institution), Gillingham, Michael (Committee member), Thiessen, Conrad (Committee member)
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Northern British Columbia 2017
• Subjects: Canada; British Columbia; Telkwa; Telkwa Range; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: https://arcabc.ca/islandora/object/unbc%3A17385; https://doi.org/10.24124/2017/1400

Human-induced habitat alteration has led to the decline of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) populations across Canada. The many challenges in conserving caribou are exemplified by a herd of northern mountain caribou in the Telkwa Range of central British Columbia. Despite population augmentation in the 1990s, this herd has declined to 18 individuals, yet mechanisms driving this decline are largely unknown. I used location data from caribou collared between 1991–2015 to investigate the influence of human disturbances – including forestry, roads, and recreation – on survival (N = 224) and habitat selection (N = 76). Results suggested that the decline of this herd was largely driven by a shift in predator prey dynamics following forest harvest. Further exacerbating the decline were the cumulative effects of disturbance in the Telkwa Range. Roads, recreation, and forestry influenced the distribution of the Telkwa caribou herd, ultimately affecting habitat availability and the ability of caribou to successfully manage predation risk. Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) Tewa Range