The British Columbia (BC) government announced on June 14 that it will expand Clincesa Provincial Park in the northeast of the province to create a sanctuary for animals such as caribou. The sanctuary will be approximately 2,000 square kilometers and will be the largest provincial park in the province.
This builds on a partnership established in 2020 between two First Nations, the Saulteaux First Nation and the West Moberly First Nation, the British Columbia provincial government, and the Government of Canada. The four parties agreed to protect the Southern Mountain Caribou.
Clincesa Provincial Park is west of Chetwynd, British Columbia, and 1,100 kilometers north of Vancouver. British Columbia’s caribou population declined by about 55 percent in the 20th century, with the Southern Mountain Caribou population now at less than 4,000. This is mainly due to an increase in predators caused by human habitat disturbance. However, policies such as protecting pregnant female caribou, restoring habitat, and managing predators such as wolves have been successful, and caribou numbers are on the rise.
The number of caribou herds in Clincesa has grown from 36 in 2013 to 138 today. The park’s expansion aims to protect other fauna, including fishermen, brook trout and grizzly bears, as well as preserve sites of Native American religious and cultural importance.