Caribou research at the Faculty of Natural Resources Management, Lakehead University: Integrating Habitat Protection, Monitoring, and Population Genetics

Woodland caribou, a species of cultural significance in Canada, has declined across much of Canada over recent decades. Ontario caribou distribution has shifted northward as industrial development, landscape changes, and climate pressures increasingly affect boreal ecosystems. The Faculty of Natural Resources Management is advancing woodland caribou conservation through an integrated research program combining movement and behavioural ecology, population genetics and remote sensing. Three studies on habitat disturbances mapped with remote sensing examine how mining, forestry, and linear features alter habitat availability and influence caribou habitat selection and behaviour. Another study tests non-invasive genetic monitoring to estimate population size, assess genetic diversity and evaluate landscape connectivity among caribou populations. In another study, historical and contemporary dynamics of Lake Superior Island caribou populations are assessed against habitat changes derived from satellite imagery. These images are also tested to map lichen frequencies and abundances in one Northwest Ontario range. An additional study examines behavioural thresholds in caribou responses to disturbances, and another one explores how disturbance-driven increases in moose and deer populations may indirectly increase predation risk for caribou through changes in predator dynamics. All these initiatives position the Faculty as a leading centre for woodland caribou research in Ontario.