Conservation Reports

Beneficial Management Practices for Wildlife Species at Risk on Agricultural Lands in Yukon

The need to follow agricultural practices that are ecologically sustainable is increasingly evident given the current crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Various approaches to agriculture, such as agro-ecology and diversified farming systems, aim to maintain the biodiversity that provides necessary ecosystem services for the farm economy at various scales, in contrast to the ecological simplification of intensive agriculture (Kremen et al. 2012). These approaches recognize that many native species provide vital ecosystem services and need to be conserved in agricultural landscapes. In this context we propose a set of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) for conservation of a suite of wildlife species that live in Yukon’s agricultural landscapes and that provide farmers with valuable ecological services of pest control and pollination. The species in question are all listed at risk under the Canadian National Species at Risk Act because of dramatic population declines in other parts of their range. These are three species of birds (Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia), and Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)), the most common bat in Yukon (Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)), and four species of bumble bees (Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus bohemicus), Suckley’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus suckleyi), Yellow-banded Bumble Bee (Bombus terricola), and McKay's Western Bumble Bee (Bombus mckayi)). We have compiled the scientific evidence in support of these Beneficial Management Practices from the published literature and from our own field studies of the species in question undertaken in south Yukon’s agricultural landscapes.

Caribou in Northern British Columbia: An Assessment of Range Condition and Population Status. Prepared for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Victoria, B.C., and BC Ministry of Forests, Smithers, B.C. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 16 (Report and Appendix - low resolution)

Most populations of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in southern British Columbia (BC) have undergone dramatic declines, especially in the last 10-20 years, with seven herds already extirpated and another ten having fewer than 50 individuals. By comparison, information available on caribou numbers in northern BC suggests that populations are typically larger than in the south, but recent population estimates are not available for many herds, and quantitative information on their range condition is lacking. We know from abundant scientific information that caribou have a low tolerance for habitat disturbance, particularly from the combined impacts of anthropogenic (human-caused) habitat disturbance (e.g., from resource extraction activities and associated infrastructure) and fire, which results in changes to predator/prey dynamics. While not believed to be in as precarious a situation as their southern counterparts, there are still considerable concerns about the condition of northern caribou populations and their ranges, particularly due to: continued pressures from resource extraction activities, including mining, oil and gas exploration and development, and forest harvesting; roads associated with resource extraction, which can have wide impacts over large areas; and, limited information available about caribou population sizes and trends. In this report we assess the level of anthropogenic habitat disturbance and fire combined as an indicator of the condition of individual herds and their ranges. We also discuss potential future habitat trends, and review and summarize available information on population sizes and trends. This report is a summary of available technical information only. A much broader understanding of caribou in northern BC would be gained by the addition of Indigenous Knowledge.

Caribou in Northern British Columbia: An Assessment of Range Condition and Population Status. Prepared for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Victoria, B.C., and BC Ministry of Forests, Smithers, B.C. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 16 (Report and Appendix - high resolution)

Most populations of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in southern British Columbia (BC) have undergone dramatic declines, especially in the last 10-20 years, with seven herds already extirpated and another ten having fewer than 50 individuals. By comparison, information available on caribou numbers in northern BC suggests that populations are typically larger than in the south, but recent population estimates are not available for many herds, and quantitative information on their range condition is lacking. We know from abundant scientific information that caribou have a low tolerance for habitat disturbance, particularly from the combined impacts of anthropogenic (human-caused) habitat disturbance (e.g., from resource extraction activities and associated infrastructure) and fire, which results in changes to predator/prey dynamics. While not believed to be in as precarious a situation as their southern counterparts, there are still considerable concerns about the condition of northern caribou populations and their ranges, particularly due to: continued pressures from resource extraction activities, including mining, oil and gas exploration and development, and forest harvesting; roads associated with resource extraction, which can have wide impacts over large areas; and, limited information available about caribou population sizes and trends. In this report we assess the level of anthropogenic habitat disturbance and fire combined as an indicator of the condition of individual herds and their ranges. We also discuss potential future habitat trends, and review and summarize available information on population sizes and trends. This report is a summary of available technical information only. A much broader understanding of caribou in northern BC would be gained by the addition of Indigenous Knowledge.

Caribou in Northern British Columbia: An Assessment of Range Condition and Population Status - Overview and Range Condition Summaries. Prepared for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Victoria, B.C., and BC Ministry of Forests, Smithers, B.C. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 16 (Report only - high resolution)

Report only - high resolution

Caribou in Northern British Columbia: An Assessment of Range Condition and Population Status - Overview and Range Condition Summaries. Prepared for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Victoria, B.C., and BC Ministry of Forests, Smithers, B.C. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 16 (Report only - low resolution)

Report only - low resolution

Caribou in Northern British Columbia: An Assessment of Range Condition and Population Status - Appendix 3: Range Summaries. Prepared for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Victoria, B.C., and BC Ministry of Forests, Smithers, B.C. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 16 (Appendix 3 - low resolution)

Appendix 3 only - low resolutions

Caribou in Northern British Columbia: An Assessment of Range Condition and Population Status - Appendix 3: Range Summaries. Prepared for the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Victoria, B.C., and BC Ministry of Forests, Smithers, B.C. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada Conservation Report No. 16 (Appendix 3 - high resolution)

Appendix 3 only - high Resolution

Wolverine denning ecology and Ontario’s “Forest Management Guide for Conserving Biodiversity at the Stand and Site Scales”: FAQ and Recommendations

Since the spring of 2018, WCS Canada has engaged with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECP) and Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry (NDMNEF) and the forestry industry on habitat management associated with wolverine den sites1 we have found over the course of our wolverine GPS collaring project in Red Lake, Ontario. A number of questions have repeatedly come up through these discussions about how our growing knowledge of wolverine denning ecology can inform current government policies. This document contains our responses to these frequently asked ques-tions (FAQ) accompanied by recommendations. We intend for these comments to inform future den site management plans (DSMP), revisions to the “Forest Management Guide for Conserving Biodiversity at the Stand and Site Scales” (SSG), and the “Boreal Landscape Guide”.

WCS Canada Red Lake Wolverine Project Highlights 2020-2021

A 1-page document summarizing the wolverine field project in Red Lake.

Red Lake Wolverine Project Field Report 2019-2020

Wildlife Conservation Society Canada (WCSC) initiated a wolverine field study in Red Lake in the spring of 2018 that has continued through the winter and summer of 2020. We describe the rationale for the study, the methods associated with our research objectives, and descriptive information about our initial findings. Wolverines are listed as threatened under the Ontario Endangered Species Act, 2007. The Ontario government’s primary rationale for listing wolverines is that there are fewer than 1000 individuals in Ontario. Scientists drafted a Wolverine Recovery Strategy (2013) in response to their listing and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) followed with a Government Response Statement (2016) that prioritized research and conservation measures for wolverines in Ontario. Our project is designed to address 3 high-priority action items in the Government Response Statement including: 1) producing data that quantifies wolverine abundance in Red Lake and across the Ontario shield (Action #1); 2) determining wolverine habitat use and den-site selection in response to industrial disturbance (Action #2); and 3) developing best-management practices for human activities in wolverine habitats (Action #7). Our field work centres around documenting wolverine movement, distribution, and abundance in Red Lake, Ontario with the use of live traps, GPS collars, and run poles. Project funders include the W. Garfield Weston Foundation, the Ontario Species at Risk Stewardship Fund administered by the MNRF, Evolution, and Domtar. The field crew is comprised of seasonal technicians, WCSC scientists, and local trappers.

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