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On July 17, 2026, Environment & Climate Change (ECC), Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) and Tłı̨chǫ Government (TG) submitted a joint management proposal, entitled “Joint Proposal on Management Actions for the Bluenose-East Barren-ground Caribou (Sahtì Ekwǫ̀) Herd 2027-2030”(“the Proposal”) to the WRRB, outlining proposed management actions for Sahtì Ekwǫ̀ in Wek’èezhìı. Following an initial assessment of the Proposal, the WRRB determined that a Level 2 review is appropriate, as per its Rule for Management Proposals. The Board opened the 2026 Sahtì Ekwǫ̀ Management Proceeding on August 27, 2026. Public participation in this WRRB proceeding is encouraged in accordance with the Board’s Rules.
This is a Notice of the Tłı̨chǫ Knowledge Technical Session, scheduled for October 29-30, 2026. Attendees, in-person or via Zoom, will include TG, GNWT, and registered Participants only.
This is a Notice of the Science Technical Session, scheduled for October 27-28, 2026. Attendees, in-person or via Zoom, will include TG, GNWT, and registered Participants only.
This document summarizes the traditional and local knowledge and scientific information presented at the 2025 Annual Status Meeting, methods used by the Boards to collect information for the monitoring tables, and other relevant information pertaining to the Annual Status Meeting.
In November 2025, the ACCWM reviewed community and scientific data for the Bluenose-East caribou herd and determined its status remains Yellow (intermediate and increasing). This decision reflects that the herd population has experienced a gradual and sustained increase since 2018, with monitoring criteria highlighting several positive factors that support the likelihood of this growth being maintained.
The WRRB concluded, based on all available Aboriginal and scientific evidence, that a serious conservation concern exists for the Bluenose-East ɂekwǫ̀ herd and that additional management actions are vital for herd recovery. However, in order to allow careful consideration of all of the evidence on the record and to meet legislated timelines, the WRRB decided to prepare two separate reports to respond to the proposed management actions in the joint management proposal. The first report, Part A, dealt with the proposed harvest management actions that will require regulation changes in order for new regulations to be in place for the start of the 2016/17 harvest season, as well as the proposed dìga feasibility assessment.
As the Bluenose-East ɂekwǫ̀ herd situation is so dismal, the Board feels that it would be irresponsible to limit its discussion to harvest management as there is a real risk that the herd will follow the same path as the Bathurst ɂekwǫ̀ herd and face extirpation. Therefore, this second report, Part B, will deal with self-regulation, additional predator management actions, biological and environmental monitoring, and cumulative effects.
The WRRB concluded, based on all available Aboriginal and scientific evidence, that a serious conservation concern exists for the Bluenose-East herd an that additional management actions are vital for herd recovery. However, in order to allow careful consideration of all of the evidence on the record and to meet legislated timelines, the WRRB decided to prepare two separate reports to respond to the proposed management actions in the joint management proposal.
This first report, Part A, will deal with the proposed harvest management actions that will require regulation changes in order for new regulations to be in place for the start of the 2016/17 harvest season, as well as the proposed dìga feasibility assessment. The second report, Part B, will deal with additional predator management actions, biological and environmental monitoring, and cumulative effects.
The WRRB concluded, based on all available Indigenous and scientific evidence, that a serious conservation concern exists for the Sahtì ekwò ̨ herd and that additional management actions are vital for herd recovery. In making its decision about harvest limitations, the WRRB considered the risks to the herd from a recent high rate of decline, uncertainties about the underlying mechanisms for the decline and the importance of ʔekwò ̨ (barren-ground caribou) for Tłı̨ chǫ citizens to thrive – physically, spiritually, and culturally.
The WRRB determined that a TAH of 193 bulls only shall be implemented for all users of the Sahtì ekwò ̨ herd within Wek’èezhìı for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 harvest seasons. Further, the Board determined that that the proportional allocation of the TAH of the Sahtì ekwò ̨ herd for the 2019/20 and 20/2021 harvest seasons shall be as follows: Tłı̨ chǫ Citizens – 39.29%, and Members of an Indigenous people who traditionally harvest Sahtì ekwò ̨ (including Nunavut) – 60.71%.
The WRRB concluded, based on current evidence, that a serious conservation concern for both the Kǫ̀k’èetı̀and Sahtì ekwǫ̀ herds exists and, as such, increased management and monitoring actions are warranted. In addition to harvest limitations and reducing disturbance to the ɂekwǫ̀ herds and their habitat, additional management and monitoring actions that focus on reducing predation, specifically dìga, are required to support the recovery of the Kǫ̀k’èetı̀and Sahtì ekwǫ̀ herds.
TG and GNWT’s joint management proposal emphasizes continuing the existing management and monitoring actions approved after the WRRB’s 2019 Bluenose-East Caribou Proceeding as follows:
Harvest Management – The total allowable harvest and harvest management actions remain unchanged, including continued expansion and implementation of the Tłı̨ chǫ Ekwǫ̀ Harvest Monitoring Program.
Habitat & Land Use – No new habitat or land use management actions are proposed.
Education – Education initiatives are ongoing.
As such, no new determinations and/or recommendations are required for the above management and monitoring actions; therefore, implementation by TG and GNWT should continue.
Monitoring & Research – Monitoring and management actions are unchanged except for the addition of a 2023 July composition survey.
The WRRB understands the short-term goal of the current joint management proposal is to promote conditions that will allow for the continued recovery of the Sahtì Ekwǫ̀ herd while working towards the longer-term goal of enabling a sustainable ɂekwǫ̀ (barren-ground caribou) harvest that meets the needs of Indigenous communities across the Sahtì herd’s range. Further, the Board understands the joint management proposal to include management and monitoring actions in the following categories, as defined in the Advisory Committee for Cooperation on Wildlife Management’s (ACCWM) “Taking Care of Caribou Management Plan”: harvest, monitoring and research, land use and habitat, predators, and education. More specifically, TG and GNWT proposed adjusting the current herd-wide TAH from 193 bulls only to 395 bulls only for the Sahtì Ekwǫ̀ herd.
Tłı̨chǫ Government and Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Department of Environment and Climate Change (ECC) propose continuation and modification of key management actions for a period of two years to promote continued recovery of the Bluenose-East herd beginning in December 2024. Actions are grouped under the five categories (harvest, predators, habitats and land use, education, and monitoring and research) defined in the Taking Care of Caribou Management Plan, which provides primary guidance on management of the Bluenose-East herd.
To understand the predator-prey interactions, our main objective was to investigate extent and causes of neonatal mortality among caribou calves. Cause of death among new-born caribou calves was investigated within the calving areas of Qamanirjuaq (2010 and 2012) and Beverly (2011 and 2013) subpopulations by searching randomly selected transects for dead calves using helicopter. Transects were selected over calving areas with high and medium densities of breeding females. Calves with a combination of signs such as puncture marks through skin and tissues, blood around wounds, subcutaneous hemorrhage, crushed skull and/or lacerations on back or rump, were assumed to have died of predation.
This species status report is a comprehensive report that compiles and analyzes the best available information on the biological status of Porcupine caribou and barren-ground caribou in the NWT, as well as existing and potential threats and positive influences.
Understanding how climate affects caribou demography is more urgent as we plan for recovery of declining migratory tundra caribou herds faced with trends toward a hotter climate. We examined relationships between climate and caribou vital rates for eight herds across western, central and eastern Arctic North America. For climate we used caribourelevant indicators based on NASA’s Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA2) dataset to estimate seasonal mean values on summer, fall, winter, spring, and calving ranges. Because sample sizes for most herds was limited, we examined the relationship among vital rates and between vital rates and climate indicators using one or two-independent variable regression models.
Aim: To quantify changes in vegetation productivity over the past three decades across five barren ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) herd ranges and assess how these changes are influencing caribou movement rates. Location: Northwest Territories and Nunavut, Canada.