Peary caribou and barren-ground caribou COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 14
Technical Summary: Rangifer Tarandus Pearyi
Rangifer tarandus pearyi
Peary caribou – Caribou de peary – Tuktu
Range of Occurrence in Canada:
Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Extent and Area Information
Extent of occurrence (EO) (km²)
602 356 km². Based on surveys and monitoring of radiocollared animals
Specify trend in EO
stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in EO?
No
Area of occupancy (AO) (km²)
Cannot be properly estimated because it may vary over time and there is insufficient information
Specify trend in AO
stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in AO?
No
Number of known or inferred current locations
Four metapopulations
Specify trend in #
Stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of locations?
No
Specify trend in area, extent or quality of habitat
Stable
Population Information
Generation time (average age of parents in the population)
7 years
Number of mature individuals
7890 (5971 to 9146)
Total population trend:
Decreasing
% decline over the last/next 10 years or 3 generations.
72%
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of mature individuals?
Yes in some populations
Is the total population severely fragmented?
No
Specify trend in number of populations
Stable
Are there extreme fluctuations in number of populations?
No
List populations with number of mature individuals in each:
- Queen Elizabeth Islands: 2100
- Banks Island-Northwest Victoria Island: 1500
- Prince of Wales – Somerset: 60
- Boothia Peninsula: 3350
Threats (actual or imminent threats to populations or habitats)
Winter die-offs due to extreme icing events. Climate warming. Potential threats: hunting if unregulated, industrial activity, increased predation if wolf numbers respond to increased muskox numbers, loss of genetic diversity in a few extremely reduced populations.
Rescue Effect (immigration from an outside source)
None
Status of outside population(s)?
Canadian endemic
Is immigration known or possible?
No
Would immigrants be adapted to survive in Canada?
Is there sufficient habitat for immigrants in Canada?
Yes
Is rescue from outside populations likely?
No
Quantitative Analysis
not done
Other Status
COSEWIC: 3 units recognized in 1991: ‘Banks Island’ and ‘High Arctic’ Endangered, ‘Low Arctic” Threatened
IUCN: Endangered (1996)
Status and Reasons for Designation
Status: Endangered
Alpha-numeric code: A2a
Reasons for Designation: This caribou is a Canadian endemic subspecies. Numbers have declined by about 72% over the last three generations, mostly because of catastrophic die-off likely related to severe icing episodes. The ice covers the vegetation and caribou starve. Voluntary restrictions on hunting by local people are in place, but have not stopped population declines. Because of the continuing decline and expected changes in long-term weather patterns, this subspecies is at imminent risk of extinction.
Applicability of Criteria
Criterion A (Declining Total Population): Endangered because it has declined by more than 50% in 3 generation, based on the population surveys. Decline is expected to continue because of changing climate. (A2a)
Criterion B (Small Distribution, and Decline or Fluctuation): the extent of occurrence is much greater than 20,000 km²
Criterion C (Small Total Population Size and Decline): Threatened, because there are fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and decline has been much more than 10% over the last 3 generation. (C1)
Criterion D (Very Small Population or Restricted Distribution): there are more than 1000 mature individuals remaining.
Criterion E (Quantitative Analysis): analysis has not been done.
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