The Conference of Management Authorities says American white pelicans will not be listed as a species at risk in NWT while Dolphin-Union caribou are now listed as endangered.
In a news release on Thursday, the conference said concern for declining numbers of Dolphin-Union caribou have resulted in the caribou population being listed as endangered, meaning the species requires a recovery strategy.
“This is the first time a species has been listed as endangered under NWT species at risk legislation,” the conference said.
Dolphin-Union caribou were first listed as a species of special concern in the NWT in 2015. In 2023, they were reassessed by the Species at Risk Committee as being “at a higher risk of extinction due to low numbers and increasing threats from climate change.”
According to the conference, a management plan is in place for Dolphin-Union caribou in the NWT and Nunavut, which provides guidance for the species’ conversation until a recovery strategy is established.
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A progress report completed last year states work is already underway to conserve and recover the Dolphin-Union caribou.
“Adding a species to the NWT List of Species at Risk does not mean harvesting must stop,” the conference said, adding the harvest of Dolphin-Union caribou is carefully managed by Inuit communities.
“Successful recovery of Dolphin and Union caribou will depend on the commitment and cooperation of many different groups with responsibility for wildlife and land management in the NWT and Nunavut and the communities that depend on them.”
American white pelicans
In a separate news release on Thursday, the conference said American white pelicans will not be added to the NWT list of species at risk.
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Last year, the NWT Species at Risk Committee assessed the pelican population to be a species of special concern in the NWT, meaning they could become threatened or dangered, due to their vulnerability to diseases and parasites. American white pelicans also have just one nesting area within the territory – the Slave River colony near Fort Smith.
“The Conference of Management Authorities (CMA) recognizes that American white pelican is a valued species for many NWT residents and an important part of the NWT’s biodiversity. The CMA supports local efforts to monitor and conserve pelicans,” the conference stated.
It said, however, that there was insufficient information to conclude if diseases are a “priority driver of vulnerability” for the species in the territory.
Considering the Slave River colony nests in Alberta, the conference added, listing pelicans as a species at risk under NWT legislation “would not enable conservation measures or management planning for the population’s nesting area.”
