The first ever comprehensive survey of caribou worldwide (known as reindeer in Europe) has found that the species has suffered a staggering decline. Researchers from the University of Alberta discovered that the caribou population has fallen 60 percent in half as many years.
The study published in Global Change Biology points to global warming and industrial development as the reasons behind the decline. Climate change has transformed the boreal and Arctic ecosystems in ways that are negatively affecting the caribou’s feeding habitats, while industrial development has deforested large swathes of the boreal forest.
 The caribou, also known as a reindeer. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. |
Many people depend on healthy and abundant caribou populations for food and income, according to the researchers.
Caribou are currently listed as Not Threatened by the IUCN Red List, however this study shows that while they may not yet face extinction, the species’ abundance—vital for ecosystems and human populations—is endangered.
The findings comes less than two weeks after another study found significant declines in migrating herbivores worldwide.
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