As a science-based conservation organization, the promotion and use of conservation science is an important aspect of our work. CPAWS-NWT has partnered with accomplished researchers on several exciting conservation science research projects.
We want to make sure that conservation science research results are used by the public and by people who make decisions that affect our land, water and wildlife. To this end, CPAWS-NWT has made sure that all of the field research we’ve been involved in has had a public education component; most research results have been presented in plain language and linked to the NWT high school curriculum. Information for protecting wildlife values was used by scientists and land managers in decision-making around the expansion of Nahanni National Park Reserve in 2009.
Caribou are extremely important to many communities and people in the NWT. In the South Nahanni Watershed, mountain woodland caribou (Medzih in Dene language) are protected over part of their ranges by the existing Nahanni National Park Reserve, but still face threats from industrial development and possible over-harvesting. Nahanni caribou will likely benefit greatly from the 2009 Nahanni National Park Reserve expansion, but much remains to be learned about these caribou.
In 2008, CPAWS-NWT partnered with Parks Canada, the Yukon and NWT territorial governments, and the Nahanni Butte Dene Band and Liard First Nation to conduct a multi-year population study of two mountain woodland caribou herds residing in the South Nahanni Watershed. The population study, which uses satellite collars to track caribou movements through the South Nahanni Watershed, was planned as a five-year study. It will help provide baseline information on the population status of two Nahanni caribou herds, and increase our collective understanding and ability to manage caribou soundly in this nationally and internationally recognized area.
During the 2004 and 2005 field seasons, CPAWS-NWT partnered with the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada and Parks Canada to bring Dr. John Weaver to the South Nahanni Watershed. Dr. Weaver conducted field studies on the distribution and composition of the Nahanni grizzly bear population. His research concluded that the population was healthy but that the existing National Park boundaries were too small to support these large predators sustainably over time.
During the summer of 2006, biologist Dr. Cori Lausen conducted ground-breaking research on bats in the South Nahanni Watershed. Made possible through a partnership with Mountain Equipment Co-op, Parks Canada and CPAWS-NWT, Dr. Lausen and her Bat Team spent nearly a month determining which bat species call Nahanni home. Nobody knew how many bat species might be found in the Nahanni, but we know now the answer is 7, possibly 8 – far more than expected for north of 60°!
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