The woodland caribou is a member of the deer family found throughout Saskatchewan's northern forests. Canada lists the boreal woodland caribou as a threatened species.
Woodland caribou are integral to northern boreal forest in Saskatchewan and are a culturally significant species to Indigenous people. Caribou populations are a reflection of the health of the landscape and ecosystem.
Disturbances in older conifer forests and peatlands – including industrial activity, roads, forest harvest and wildfire – may change the amount and location of available habitat for caribou. Roads, trails and seismic lines can give people and predators access to caribou. This can disrupt feeding and resting areas and make caribou more vulnerable to predators. As caribou have only one calf per year, increased disturbance and predation can lead to a significant decline in their population.
Boreal woodland caribou are listed as threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act and the federal government created a national recovery strategy in 2012. Amendments were made to the recovery strategy in 2019 to incorporate research from Saskatchewan's boreal shield.
In 2013, the province developed the Conservation Strategy for Boreal Woodland Caribou in Saskatchewan. Through the range planning process, we are moving forward with a made-in-Saskatchewan solution for caribou habitat management and woodland caribou population sustainability.
Read the 2023 Woodland Caribou Program Update
Woodland Caribou Document Library
Traditional Knowledge
Much of the province's data on woodland caribou comes from relatively recent monitoring efforts and short-term research studies. Understanding woodland caribou behaviour and biology benefits from long-term knowledge.
Traditional knowledge comes from long-term, multi-generation, first-hand experience and observation. Traditional knowledge may include:
- Knowledge about the local environment, past and present;
- Knowledge about the use and management of the local environment; and
- Local environmental values, which incorporate the cultural values and beliefs of the knowledge holders.
Traditional and local knowledge, in tandem with western science, contributes to woodland caribou range planning. Including multiple sources of information that will lead to a more complete understanding of woodland caribou and will raise confidence in outcomes.
First Nations and Métis Grants
The Ministry of Environment offers funding in the form of grants to support First Nations and Métis communities undertaking woodland caribou conservation work. The grant program funds have been allocated for 2023-24. The ministry will renew the program funding in April 2024.