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The Newfoundland government launched a five year investigation to understand why their woodland caribou population suffered a 62% decline over a fifteen year period. Researchers studied the main factors driving caribou population decline, including predator-prey dynamics, habitat quality and caribou biology. The science showed that the caribou decline was inevitable as caribou exceeded their carrying capacity.

Newfoundland Caribou Project Reveals Habitat Key to Sustainable Management

For over eight years, SCI Foundation has partnered with the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Department of Environment and Conservation to support a major research program on Newfoundland Island’s woodland caribou population. The long-term scientific study has made these caribou one of the best studied wildlife populations in the world. We are pleased to present results from the project’s final report, which lays a foundation for a new comprehensive management plan.

In the 1990s, Newfoundland’s large population of caribou began to crash. The magnitude of the loss, a decline of approximately 62% of the population in one decade, and uncertainty over the causes sparked concern for local stakeholders. Woodland caribou represent an important natural resource for the island’s economy and culture. In 2008, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Sustainable Development and Strategic Science Division established the Caribou Strategy, a 5-year research initiative, to determine the factors driving population decline and institute a sustainable management plan for the herd.