Retrospective Analysis of Habitat Selection by Boreal Caribou in the Prince Albert Greater Ecosystem, Saskatchewan, Canada

Steven Foster Wilson 

Recent caribou research in Saskatchewan has focused on faecal DNA analyses, which provide valuable information on caribou population size and connectivity but limited information on habitat use and selection. The delineation of Caribou Habitat Management Areas (CHMAs) and associated tiered management objectives are based in part on habitat potential mapping derived from an expert-based model. This study used telemetry data collected from caribou in the Prince Albert Greater Ecosystem (PAGE) during 2005-2010 to model caribou habitat empirically in a manner that aligns with provincial ecosystem mapping standards and current conceptions of habitat disturbance. This modelling can be used to inform possible revisions to CHMA boundaries and management objectives as the Action Plan for the SK2 Central Administrative Unit is revised. Caribou in the PAGE study area demonstrated selection for black spruce, tamarack, and shrub bog/fen habitats, as well as pine-lichen stands, although the latter is very rare in the study area. All other habitats were avoided, especially deciduous and mixedwood stands. Caribou avoided areas of recent wildfires and forest harvest, and avoided buffered anthropogenic disturbance (composed primarily of roads). The modelling suggested possible updates to the habitat potential mapping that would shift several lowland habitats from the Moderate to High category, generating more continuous blocks of caribou refugia. CHMA boundaries and objectives could be adjusted to better align with how different habitats are functioning in the caribou system. The habitat selection model could also be used to map current habitat suitability to help identify restoration priorities.