But the same paper concludes the biggest reason for the rebound is the slaughter of hundreds of wolves, a policy that will likely have to go on for decades.
Between 1991 and 2023, caribou populations dropped by half. More than a third of the herds disappeared. Because different measures were used on different herds, the researchers could link population trends to interventions.Same with reducing the moose and deer populations that draw wolves into caribou habitat. Nearly all those populations would have to be killed, an unpopular move in rural and First Nations communities where hunting is both a pastime and necessity.Moving animals from large herds to small helped only for a season or two.
Alberta has protected some habitat, but undisturbed ranges continue to shrink under forestry and energy industry pressure.