It is difficult to get an exact number of the population of Boreal Woodland Caribou (BWC) due to its extensive distribution across the boreal forest region. In addition, they are sparsely populated with families of fewer numbers thus making assessment from above difficult. The other problem also lies in their tendency to live in solitary rather than communal habitats.
In the event of serious reduction in population, it is difficult to recover the Woodland Caribou due to some historical characteristics they exhibit. This because, with their efforts to protect themselves against predators, they are found in small families that are spatially distributed. Therefore, they typically require large sizes of habitats that are not interrupted for their everyday life. However, this is impossible in a rapidly developing Canada. In addition, their low productive rates and the high levels of predation results into low rates of survival after a severed population decline.
Some of the greatest threats to achieving self-sustaining populations are the continued loss of habitat by extensive man’s land use activities. Another threat is the natural processes or activities such as predation. The fact that Woodland Caribou is a prey to many predators; this is a threat to its survival given the widespread predation that exists in the forest.
The strategies the government has adopted to deal with these threats are controversial in many ways. The government has decided to create sufficient habitat so that it can support these species. This will be affected by either managing the environment or restoring the habitat that has been destroyed by man’s activities and natural disasters. It will go hand in hand with predator- prey management efforts in locations that justify this act. For example, this can occur in areas where the species are at a high risk of predation. This means that all the species at risk stand to benefit from these strategies. This includes the equivalent species that share the same habitat with Woodland Caribou. In conserving these species, the habitat will also continue to be protected and enhanced.
These strategies are realistic given the right procedures. This is so because in protecting and conserving the Woodland Caribou, it will have the same results on the other species that share the same habitat. Therefore, the adoption of these strategies is essential in trying to restore the desired population of the species. Land reclamation efforts will be an advantage to the ecosystem and other species in the ecosystem too. Therefore, the benefits that come with a short-term regulation on predation prey relationship are critical. This is because even though it is extended for a longer time to achieve the desired population, a consequent stop to allow normal predator will not have adverse effects on the species population. However, this should be put in check by consequential on and off control of these relationships. This will go hand in hand to cater for the prey and the predators like wolves that are in the same forest.
Besides restoration of habitat and Woodland Caribou, implementation of these strategies will go hand in hand with sensitizing the local population about the importance of conservation. Educating the people will not only help during this time of regulation but also in the future. Therefore, in view of the advantages that are exceeding the disadvantages adoption of these strategies will be celebrated. It should be noteworthy that, it is better for the government to react than do nothing at all. This is because the latter will result into the extinction of Woodland Caribou species.