Billion Dollar Caribou

Summary: Everyone has seen a woodland caribou on a quarter but very few of us have ever seen one in the wild. They’re known as the grey ghosts of the boreal forest. They move around in small groups and are notoriously hard to find. It’s even more difficult since their numbers are declining across the country, especially in Alberta, where prime caribou habitat also happens to have prime lumber resources and oil and gas deposits. Big oil wants to expand and they feel damage to the boreal forest ecosystem can be addressed by habitat restoration. They're proposing massive fenced in exclosures that would protect caribou but allow oil development to continue. Environmental organizations and First Nations argue that too much damage will be done. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation has produced their own stewardship strategy to protect caribou habitat and their way of life, but industry and government seem uninterested. The battle over the future of the boreal forest and caribou in Alberta is raising tough questions about the place of wildlife in our world.