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Using Forecasts of Caribou Habitat to Inform Land Management Decisions in North-central British Columbia
The Caribou Habitat Assessment and Supply Estimator was constructed as a component of Land and Resource Management
Plan implementation and was first applied at a strategic level to support development of recovery actions for four
herds of caribou in north-central British Columbia. After testing model predictions of low-elevation winter range
values, the model was then applied to support the delineation and official designation of Ungulate Winter Range
under the Forest and Range Practices Act. We describe these applications of the model, the resulting management
directions resulting from consideration of model results, and discuss the potential implications of these management
decisions on the conservation of caribou range. In general, the model has provided a foundation for management and
research of caribou and their range.
The collaborative model-building approach provided broad ownership among stakeholders and acceptance of model use at the strategic level. Tests of the model strengthened the acceptance further and led to a relatively smooth transition into operational use. During development of specific management actions (i.e., recovery actions and general wildlife measures), the model results helped focus discussion on potentially limiting aspects about caribou range and the model itself provided a framework upon which discussion was organized. We consider the implications of having constructed and used the model to be significant and that management will continue to be influenced by further model applications in the future. Management decisions were derived relatively efficiently and the ecological and scientific basis for the decisions was transparent to all stakeholders. This transparency has led to a relatively open dialogue about, and a greater understanding of, caribou conservation in the area. Researchers continue to use the model framework as a foundation for generating hypotheses for investigation. Use of the model as a tool for routine monitoring of caribou range values has become a component of sustainable forest management.
