image: Woodland caribou in the Klinse-za maternity pen. Calves are born in a predator-proof enclosure and released after one month of age with their mothers. view more
Credit: Image courtesy of Scott McNay.
Researchers compared the growth rates of 12 endangered woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) populations with six adjacent control populations from 1994 to 2018 in Idaho and Alberta, British Colombia, and found that population growth was maximal when a pair of management strategies--reduction of wolves and short-term penning of caribou mothers during calving season--was applied simultaneously; the findings suggest that direct population management, which could help avoid continued extirpation, is best achieved using adaptive management to rapidly restore populations of endangered species.
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Article #18-16923: "Saving endangered species using adaptive management," by Robert Serrouya et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Robert Serrouya, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CANADA; tel: +4741345608, +12508144632; e-mail: serrouya@ualberta.ca
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences