Caribou sub-regional task forces

Caribou sub-regional task forces

In August 2019, the province created caribou sub-regional task forces to advise government on land-use planning at a local scale, including caribou recovery actions. Each Caribou Sub-regional Task Force includes representatives from local municipalities, Indigenous peoples and communities, the energy sector, the forestry sector, trappers, recreational users, environmental non-government organizations, and other local stakeholders and knowledge holders.

Task Forces will now develop recommendations for the following planning areas:  Wandering River, Berland, and Chinchaga. These will cover the East-Side-Athabasca, Little Smoky, A La Peche, and Chinchaga caribou ranges.

Click below for maps of sub-regional planning areas:

• Wandering River sub-regional planning area (PDF, 5 MB)
• Berland sub-regional planning area (PDF, 5 MB)
• Chinchaga sub-regional planning area (PDF, 5 MB)

Recommendations from these task forces will support the development of sub-regional plans for the respective planning area. Each sub-regional plan that is developed will go out for public, stakeholder, and Indigenous engagement, providing future opportunities for all Albertans to shape these plans before they are finalized.

Previous caribou sub-regional task forces

Initially, three task forces focused their efforts on providing recommendations to government on draft sub-regional plans for Cold Lake, Bistcho Lake, and Upper Smoky planning areas, which address recovery outcomes for the Bistcho, Cold Lake, Narraway, and Redrock-Prairie Creek caribou ranges.

Click below for maps of sub-regional planning areas:

• Cold Lake sub-regional planning area (PDF, 655 KB)
• Bistcho Lake sub-regional planning area (PDF, 724 KB)
• Upper Smoky sub-regional planning area (PDF, 774 KB)

Task force recommendations for each area were submitted to government in 2020, and in early 2021 public, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities were engaged on the draft Cold Lake and Bistcho Lake sub-regional plans. Engagement on the draft Upper Smoky sub-regional plan will also occur once a draft plan is complete.

Click below for the recommendation reports:

• Cold Lake Task Force Recommendations Report (PDF, 2 MB)
• Bistcho Lake Task Force recommendations Report (PDF, 2 MB)

Click below for the draft sub-regional plans:

• Draft Cold Lake Sub-regional Plan (PDF, 3 MB)
• Draft Bistcho Lake Sub-regional Plan (PDF, 4 MB)

Related information

• Alberta Woodland Caribou Recovery Plan
• Caribou Protection Plan
• Caribou Range Maps
• Species at Risk Publications and Web Resources: Mammals
  See under the Woodland Caribou section of this page for the following document: Status of the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Alberta
• Task Force Members (PDF, 260 KB)
• Woodland Caribou Policy for Alberta
• Draft Canada - Alberta Conservation Agreement for Woodland Caribou (s.11)

Federal Recovery Strategies and Guiding Documents

• Action Plan for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada - Federal Actions
• Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Boreal population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Canada
• Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Southern Mountain population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Canada
• Report on the Progress of Recovery Strategy Implementation for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal population in Canada for the Period 2012 to 2017