Exploring Issues of Working Together for the Bathurst Caribou Herd Workshop October 2-3, 2013

The issue of Bathurst Caribou management is of great importance to the well being of the northern peoples who have traditionally harvested from the herd.  It is a complex issue due to the transboundary nature of the herd's migration and involves harvesters from outside of the NWT.  In recent years, the Bathurst Caribou’s numbers have declined to the point where a harvest target of 300 has been set.  This harvest target is for the NWT only.   

Under the Tłįcho Agreement, the WRRB has a responsibility to work on long-term management planning for the Bathurst Caribou with its co-management partners, and to invite other management authorities with jurisdiction over any part of the herd’s range and Aboriginal peoples who traditionally harvest the herd.  Last June, 2012, the Tłįcho Government, WRRB and ENR brought together several organizations from across the range as a “working group” to start to build a process to manage the Bathurst Caribou together for the future.  At that meeting, participants decided to hold a Regional Harvesters’ Gathering in January 2013 to share their knowledge, ideas and recommendations for managing the Bathurst Caribou.

Last month, the “working group” met again to take part in a two-day workshop in Yellowknife to explore issues involved in working together to manage the Bathurst Caribou.

Participants agreed that concrete action is needed to preserve the Bathurst Caribou for present and future generations.  They also discussed the need for an effective forum to bring the perspectives of all groups to the table.  The group worked to arrive at a collective understanding of what the vision of such a forum—and its function—should be. Those goals include maintaining a healthy caribou population and coming together to work towards the development of a long-term management plan for the Bathurst herd.

What happens next?

A final report of the workshop is being reviewed.  Working group members will share the workshop results with their communities /organizations and bring the perspectives back to the table when the working group plans to meet again in February 2014.

The membership of the working group has yet to be finalized as management authorities and traditional user groups determine how they wish to participate in the long term management planning process.