Hydroelectric development and the disruption of migration in caribou

Mahoney, Shane P.; Schaefer, James A.

doi:10.1016/s0006-3207(02)00052-6

Cited by 69 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…by the spine road and forestry) are further affected and reindeer change the use or are hindered from using grazing ranges available previously. Similar declines in the final stages or additional development have also been observed with caribou in relation to progressive oilfield infrastructure (Cameron et al 1992;Nellemann and Cameron 1998;Joly et al 2006), hydropower development (Mahoney and Schaefer 2002), and for other ungulates in relation to gas field development (Sawyer et al 2013). Construction of wind farms associated with a new road network and power line construction creates a great deal of human and industrial activity in the area.…”

Section: Changes In Use Of Movement Corridorsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Wind farm construction impacts reindeer migration and movement corridors

et al. 2015

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Context Over the last decade, we have seen a massive increase in the construction of wind farms in northern Fennoscandia. Wind farms comprising hundreds of wind turbines are being built, with little knowledge of the possible cumulative adverse effects on the habitat use and migration of semi-domesticated free-ranging reindeer. Objectives We assessed how reindeer responded to wind farm construction in an already fragmented landscape, with specific reference to the effects on use of movement corridors and reindeer habitat selection. Methods We used GPS-data from reindeer during calving and post-calving in the Malå reindeer herding community in Sweden. We analysed data from the pre-development years compared to the construction years of two relatively small wind farms. Results During construction of the wind farms, use of original migration routes and movement corridors within 2 km of development declined by 76 %. This decline in use corresponded to an increase in activity of the reindeer measured by increased step lengths within 0-5 km. The step length was highest nearest the development and declining with distance, as animals moved towards migration corridors and turned around or were observed in holding patterns while not crossing. During construction, reindeer avoided the wind farms at both regional and landscape scale of selection. Conclusions The combined construction activities associated with even a few wind turbines combined with power lines and roads in or close to central movement corridors caused a reduction in the use of such corridors and grazing habitat and increased the fragmentation of the reindeer calving ranges.

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Section: Changes In Use Of Movement Corridorsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Wind farm construction impacts reindeer migration and movement corridors

et al. 2015

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“…Finally, we considered calving-range fidelity among caribou that had calves in two consecutive years, and predicted that fidelity to calving ranges would decrease with an increase in anthropogenic disturbance (Mahoney and Schaefer 2002;Faille et al 2010) and snow accumulation (Popp et al 2011). Range fidelity has implications for conservation strategies, with high fidelity increasing the success of conservation areas in current high-use areas, but low fidelity requiring the conservation of larger tracts of land to account for potential future shifts in distribution (Faille et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking sanctuary: the neonatal calving period among central mountain woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

Nobert¹,

Milligan²,

Stenhouse³

et al. 2016

Can. J. Zool.

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Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1788)) populations have declined throughout their range. With the goal of better understanding habitat selection and fidelity during the neonatal calving period (0-4 weeks), we applied a noninvasive method that estimates calving events and subsequent survival based on changes in movement rates among GPS-collared female caribou. We examined a long-term GPS-collar data set (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014) collected from 81 adult female caribou in two central mountain herds in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. Although we were unable to validate our results with aerial surveys and pregnancy tests, our estimates of parturition rates, survival rates, calving dates, and habitat selection were consistent with previous studies. We identified 83 calving sites. Female caribou selected calving sites and postparturition habitat on high-elevation ridgetops with gradual slopes and avoided anthropogenic linear features. Female caribou displayed low fidelity to interannual calving ranges with a mean distance of 8.7 km between calving ranges. Fidelity was lower in areas with high seismic-line density. Conservation of high-elevation habitat with limited anthropogenic disturbance is likely to provide the greatest benefit to central mountain caribou during the neonatal calving period, and represents a potential management strategy for population recovery efforts.

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“…(2006) ont démontré que, dans les semaines suivant la mise bas, les femelles suitées évitaient davantage les routes que les femelles sans faon. Mahoney et Schaefer (2002) ont suggéré que c'était la construction d'une route et son utilisation par les véhicules, plutôt que la structure physique en elle-même, qui auraient réellement des impacts négatifs sur le caribou. Ces auteurs ont observé que les caribous semblaient moins enclins à fréquenter la zone située à moins de 3 km d'un projet hydroélectrique en construction durant leurs migrations pendant une période s'étendant jusqu'à 2 ans suivant la fin du projet.…”

Section: La Sélection D'habitat Et L'évitementunclassified

Synthèse des connaissances relatives aux impacts des routes sur l’écologie du caribou

St‐Laurent¹,

Renaud²,

Leblond³

et al. 2012

natcan

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Le caribou (Rangifer tarandus) est une espèce particulièrement sensible aux perturbations anthropiques. En utilisant un cadre conceptuel basé sur les différentes échelles biologiques de réponse à une perturbation, nous présentons une revue des connaissances actuelles sur les impacts des routes, chemins et sentiers sur plusieurs facettes de l’écologie de cette espèce. Que ce soit en induisant une augmentation du comportement de vigilance, un évitement des routes, une diminution de l’accès à des ressources alimentaires ou encore un plus grand risque de rencontre avec un prédateur, les routes représentent des perturbations anthropiques importantes, dont les impacts s’ajoutent aux autres formes de perturbations présentes en milieu forestier

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Hydroelectric development and the disruption of migration in caribou

Cited by 69 publications

References 21 publications

Wind farm construction impacts reindeer migration and movement corridors

Wind farm construction impacts reindeer migration and movement corridors

Seeking sanctuary: the neonatal calving period among central mountain woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)

Synthèse des connaissances relatives aux impacts des routes sur l’écologie du caribou

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