 5,700 Hectares of Critical Caribou Habitat Slated for BC Logging 

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Satellite monitoring reveals that 76% of the Columbia North caribou herd's habitat faces logging risk – the highest percentage among the three most endangered herds.

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Ten caribou herds in BC have already gone extinct or have so few animals left they can't recover, according to government data.

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What happens when logging roads and clearcuts fragment ancient forests? Predators like wolves gain easier access to vulnerable caribou.

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The Columbia North herd grew from 147 to 209 animals between 2017-2023, but these modest gains are threatened as critical habitat continues to shrink.

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Old-growth forests aren't just caribou homes – they're crucial "carbon sinks" in the fight against climate change, storing massive amounts of carbon.

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BC Forests Minister calls it a "balancing act" between protecting caribou and "supporting good, sustainable forestry jobs" – but is there a true balance?

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Human activities have already disrupted 41% of the total habitat area, exceeding the federal government's maximum 35% disturbance threshold.

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In winter, caribou use deep snow as an "elevator" to reach tree lichens for food – but only in old-growth forests that take centuries to develop.

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A ray of hope: Indigenous-led conservation by West Moberly and Saulteau First Nations has tripled the Klinse-Za caribou herd from just 38 animals in 2013.

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BC's own Old Growth Strategic Review recommended protecting high-risk forests, but five years later, "these trees are still falling," says conservationist Eddie Petryshen.

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Only about 12,150 deep snow-dwelling caribou remain in the world – and they're all right here in British Columbia. Will we save them before it's too late?

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[{"selector":"#anim-d7118406-0b2a-4914-8301-f98bb6ace7ef","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-01785566-719f-4ca4-ae99-88aa08792c54","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b3807113-a8f3-4444-9997-4cad6e5758aa","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.50152%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":200,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-58022eb4-bc46-470f-a6d3-dfcea6ee7415","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-945cf87e-d221-44c6-8af5-9ddf5acf287b","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.2381%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":700,"duration":3000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Forests Face 'Humpty Dumpty Effect' with $44 Trillion at Risk Learn more