New funding supports the search for solutions to declining caribou herds

Research on migratory caribou in the Northwest Territories is getting a funding boost thanks to a new partnership between Polar Knowledge Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories. There will be approximately $850,000 available annually for the next three years, for research on barren ground caribou.

Barren-ground caribou are important to Indigenous peoples and the ecology of the NWT. Over the past few decades, caribou herds have been declining, causing hardship in many communities and affecting ecosystems where the caribou live. The reasons for the declines are not well understood.

The new funding will support research and monitoring that will answer key questions about caribou health and populations, and lead to effective conservation measures to help the populations recover.

This funding is open to all migratory barren-ground caribou specialists, including academic researchers who collaborate with NWT agencies, Indigenous governments, Indigenous organizations, and communities. The focus is on NWT herds, but may include comparative studies on other migratory herds in Nunavut, Yukon, Alaska, northern Quebec, and Labrador.

More information is available here.