The Long and Winding Road to Caribou Recovery in Alberta

Presenter: Dr. Richard Schneider, Nature Alberta Executive Director
Conservationists have been able to pull many species back from the brink of extinction and place them on the road to recovery. Local examples include whooping cranes, bison, swift foxes, and peregrine falcons. But not woodland caribou. It is one of Canada’s iconic species-still featured on Canadian quarters-yet despite decades of conservation effort and millions of dollars of research, this species continues to struggle for its existence. Why is that?
Over his 30-year career as a conservation biologist working in Alberta, Dr. Richard Schneider has had a front-row seat to the unfolding story of woodland caribou recovery efforts in the province. In this presentation, Richard will discuss the natural history of woodland caribou, explore the key challenges that make caribou conservation so difficult, and provide an unvarnished perspective on what needs to change.
This was recorded as part of Nature Alberta's Nature Network Speaker Series.