Provincial Caribou Recovery Program
Last updated on June 1, 2023Last updated: June 1, 2023
On this page
The purpose of the Provincial Caribou Recovery Program is to develop, implement, and monitor management actions and provincial strategies to ensure we are meeting or exceeding provincial and federal population and habitat objectives.
The B.C. government understands that caribou recovery measures also need to consider the social and economic needs of all British Columbians. This includes a commitment to protecting Indigenous rights and interests, while maintaining B.C.’s robust and diverse natural resource sector.
Recovery actions
Implementing recovery actions supports the goal of achieving a self-sustaining caribou population.
Agreements
Canada British Columbia Conservation Agreement for Southern Mountain Caribou in British Columbia
On February 21, 2020, the Government of B.C. signed the Canada British Columbia Conservation Agreement for Southern Mountain Caribou in British Columbia. The agreement’s framework supports the conservation and recovery of the Southern Mountain caribou.
Partnership Agreement for the Conservation of the Southern Mountain Caribou – Central Group (2020-02-21)
The B.C. government also partnered with Saulteau First Nations, West Moberly First Nations and the federal government on the Partnership Agreement for the Conservation of the Southern Mountain Caribou – Central Group (2020-02-21). It reflects a collaborative approach to caribou conservation and includes the shared recovery objective of: “immediately stabilizing and expeditiously growing the population of the Central Group to levels that are self-sustaining and support traditional aboriginal harvesting activities, consistent with existing Aboriginal and Treaty rights”.
Caribou Recovery Committee
A Caribou Recovery Committee was established in 2020 to review applications for resource development activities, as specified in the partnership agreement. The committee meets monthly to review project applications. The committee includes representation from the provincial government, federal government, Saulteau First Nations, and West Moberly First Nations. It provides consensus recommendations to statutory decision-makers on whether applications support the Shared Recovery Objective and related criteria.
- Partnership Agreement Caribou Recovery Committee Guidance to Proponents on Applications (PDF, 3.6MB)
- Caribou Recovery Committee 2020–2021 Annual Report (PDF, 2MB)
Planning, process and reporting
Caribou Recovery Program
The Caribou Recovery Program is administered through the Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship. A multi-ministry board of assistant deputy ministers provides strategic and operational guidance and aligns policies and processes across ministries.
Procedures
The B.C. government is developing guidance and procedures for staff and project proponents to implement actions that support caribou recovery. These procedures will support statutory decision-makers in determining the need for caribou recovery actions and allow the public to learn more about how and why those decisions are made.
Herd planning
Herd-specific implementation plans identify activities to reduce the decline of caribou populations and help restore caribou habitat. A Phase 1 draft herd plan reflects the current state of the herd and management activities that are underway. A Phase 2 plan reflects recovery paths identified through a community-based herd planning process.
The herd planning process may differ from region-to-region as partners and stakeholders work together to find solutions to support caribou recovery on the landscape. Current herd plans can be viewed by going to the interactive map, clicking on a herd of interest and then clicking on the link next to “More Info" in the menu.
Support caribou recovery
Ensuring that our partners and members of the public are engaged in the caribou recovery process is crucial to the program's success:
- Local governments, First Nations and stakeholder groups are and will continue to be part of community-based herd planning
- British Columbians will be invited to comment on proposed recovery actions through EngageBC
- Specific projects will be discussed with those who may be affected, including Indigenous communities, tenure holders, and the public
What we've heard so far
Information on past public engagement processes related to caribou:
- Winter Motorized Recreation Management Plan in the South Peace for the Central Group of Southern Mountain Caribou
- Draft Section 11 Agreement Between Canada and B.C. and Draft Partnership Agreement Between Canada, B.C., West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations
- Provincial Caribou Recovery Program
- Boreal Caribou Protection and Recovery Plan