Adam T. Ford’s research while affiliated with University of British Columbia and other places

In many areas of the boreal forests and temperate mountains of Canada, resource extraction activities have created forage conditions that are favourable to the growth of moose (Alces alces) populations. In turn, these increased moose populations buoy the abundance of wolves (Canis lupus), which then have negative impacts on caribou (Rangifer tarandus) populations. Consequently, caribou have been declining where increased resource extraction, moose, and wolves occur. To abate unsustainable predation pressure on caribou by wolves, the moose hunting quota was expanded for 17 years to reduce and then stabilize the moose population in the Revelstoke Valley, British Columbia, Canada. However, a reduction in forestry activity paired with habitat protections slowed the early seral conditions that favour moose. Consequently, both hunter‐caused mortality and habitat loss may have been contributing to observed moose declines that occurred during this period. Within this changing regulatory and biophysical landscape, we sought to address two research objectives. First, we evaluated how increasing the moose hunting quota influenced the total yield of harvested animals. We expected that density‐dependent responses by the moose population would bolster the number of harvestable animals on the landscape. Second, we tested how different forest harvest scenarios might influence moose habitat, wolf densities, and thus caribou population growth rates into future decades. We used data from moose GPS collars (39 individuals), eight aerial population surveys, hunter harvest statistics, estimates of carrying capacity thresholds, and forest harvest records. The latter data series spanned 1961–2020 and informed the resource selection function and calculations for our first research objective as well as the predictive modelling for our second research objective. Between 2003 and 2020, we found that the habitat amounts for moose declined by 44.8%. There were 42% more moose harvested under increased moose hunting quotas than were projected to be harvested under a simulated status quo quota. As the moose population declined and stabilized, we observed higher recruitment rates (e.g. calf:cow ratios) that further contributed to the number of harvested moose. Our simulations indicated that the only forest harvesting scenario where moose carrying capacity would be low enough to stabilize caribou population growth rates by 2040 was to cease forest harvesting entirely in 2020. Practical implication: an increased observed moose harvest quota mitigated the negative effects of forestry on caribou, aided in caribou recovery, and struck a balance that also provided food security and recreational opportunities for moose harvesters.

Woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ) are declining across much of their distribution in Canada in response to habitat alteration, leading to unsustainable predation, particularly by wolves ( Canis lupus ). Habitat alteration can benefit the primary prey species of wolves (moose [ Alces alces ] and deer [ Odocoileus spp.]) by creating early seral conditions that contain more of their preferred food types. This increase in primary prey populations results in elevated wolf abundance and heightened predation pressure on caribou. In response to the elevated wolf populations and the risks to caribou, managers have reduced wolf abundance in key areas. Ecological theory suggests that reducing wolf abundance would release moose from the top‐down effects of wolf predation, potentially allowing moose populations to grow. Elevated moose abundance thus has the potential to cause wolf populations to rebound quickly each year following reductions, suggesting a possible link between moose abundance and the number of wolves killed for caribou conservation. To test this idea we used a unique management situation in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, where lethal wolf removals were annually conducted across specific southern mountain caribou population ranges and, in some places, moose populations were concurrently reduced via liberalized hunting. We used indices of moose abundance and wolf removal data to test the hypothesis that reducing moose populations to a historical abundance target by hunting leads to fewer wolves killed for caribou conservation. After controlling for habitat quality, wolves removed per km ² was 3.2 times lower in areas with reduced moose density ( = 1.55 wolves/1,000 km ² ± 0.33 [SE]) than in those without reduced moose density ( = 5.02 wolves/1,000 km ² ± 0.52). However, the average number of wolves removed per year decreased under both conditions. After 9 years, there was a 35% reduction in the predicted difference in the annual removal between areas with and without moose reduction. Our results suggest that policies that do not reduce or stabilize moose abundance will result in the removal of more wolves to increase caribou abundance. Like wolf reductions, moose reductions can also be controversial and affect local harvesters. Thus, understanding the consequences of actions that support caribou recovery is essential to supporting evidence‐based policy discussions.

Wildlife tagging provides critical insights into animal movement ecology, physiology, and behavior amid global ecosystem changes. However, the stress induced by capture, handling, and tagging can impact post-release locomotion and activity and, consequently, the interpretation of study results. Here, we analyze post-tagging effects on 1585 individuals of 42 terrestrial mammal species using collar-collected GPS and accelerometer data. Species-specific displacements and overall dynamic body acceleration, as a proxy for activity, were assessed over 20 days post-release to quantify disturbance intensity, recovery duration, and speed. Differences were evaluated, considering species-specific traits and the human footprint of the study region. Over 70% of the analyzed species exhibited significant behavioral changes following collaring events. Herbivores traveled farther with variable activity reactions, while omnivores and carnivores were initially less active and mobile. Recovery duration proved brief, with alterations diminishing within 4–7 tracking days for most species. Herbivores, particularly males, showed quicker displacement recovery (4 days) but slower activity recovery (7 days). Individuals in high human footprint areas displayed faster recovery, indicating adaptation to human disturbance. Our findings emphasize the necessity of extending tracking periods beyond 1 week and particular caution in remote study areas or herbivore-focused research, specifically in smaller mammals.

Achieving more effective and equitable environmental conservation practices and policies involves shifting from a human‐centric, top‐down perspective of environmental conservation to a perspective that respects and cares for all living and non‐living beings. Many Indigenous Peoples from around the globe embody approaches to environmental care that are rooted in values such as responsibility, respect and reciprocity (a.k.a. relational values), which, through meaningful engagement and support of Indigenous self‐determination, can guide Western society towards a fundamental shift in perspective, practices and relationships. We conducted interviews and sharing circles with 40 individuals from 12 Indigenous communities across Canada to describe: (1) the values, teachings and customs that are inherent to the way Indigenous Peoples relate to and care for the Land, (2) how these values and practices have changed over time and (3) ways to create environmental initiatives that are rooted in Indigenous values. Generally, participants emphasized the critical link between people and place, and how this leads to environmental practices rooted in values such as respect, reciprocity, humility and responsibility. They also reflected on the negative impacts of colonialism, environmental change and modernization on their connections to the Land and opportunities to practice these values, but highlighted that cultural revitalization efforts have started to restore traditional values and practices. To create environmental initiatives that are rooted in important values, research participants called for building better relationships both with nature and with each other through nature. Ultimately, uplifting Indigenous values systems and, specifically, the ways Indigenous Peoples relate to and care for the natural world stands to heal our relationship with the Land and safeguard it into the future. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Maintaining and restoring ecological connectivity will be key in helping to prevent and reverse the loss of biodiversity. Fortunately, a growing body of research conducted over the last few decades has advanced our understanding of connectivity science, which will help inform evidence‐based connectivity conservation actions. Increases in data availability and computing capacity have helped to dramatically increase our ability to model functional connectivity using more sophisticated models. Keeping track of these advances can be difficult, even for connectivity scientists and practitioners. In this article, we highlight some key advances from the past decade and outline many of the remaining challenges. We describe the efforts to increase the biological realism of connectivity models by, for example, isolating movement behaviors, population parameters, directional movements, and the effects of climate change. We also discuss considerations of when to model connectivity for focal or multiple species. Finally, we reflect on how to account for uncertainty and increase the transparency and reproducibility of connectivity research and discuss situations where decisions may require forgoing sophistication for more simple approaches.

Consumers shape spatial patterns on landscapes by amplifying or dampening environmental heterogeneity through feeding, excretion, and movement of resources. The degree to which the environment is modified by consumers depends on species’ traits, including body mass, movement behavior, sociality, and habitat specialization. Global change is altering the size and traits of consumer populations, but our understanding of how this may impact resource heterogeneity is limited. Here, we developed an individual-based model of habitat specialists’ and generalists’ movement and activity in a patchy landscape and investigated the impact of changes in population and mean body sizes on landscape-scale resource heterogeneity. We found that consumers specializing on low-resource habitats (a common risk avoidance strategy) increased spatial resource heterogeneity regardless of their population and body size. By contrast, generalists eroded differences among habitats, and we further found that resource heterogeneity decreased with the average body size of generalist consumers, even while controlling for total consumer biomass. These nuanced spatial outcomes of consumer-resource interactions emerge from the unique metabolic demands of specialists vs. generalists, which scale nonlinearly with body size. Since global change disproportionately impacts larger species and specialists, indirect consequences on ecosystems may arise via biotic processes, affecting spatial heterogeneity of future landscapes.

The health of wildlife plays a crucial role in population demography by connecting habitat and physiology. Southern mountain caribou, a population of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou (Gmelin, 1978)) found in the mountains of southwest Canada, are facing significant threats. We evaluated the health of the Klinse-Za subpopulation within the central group of southern mountain caribou, which is part of an Indigenous-led conservation initiative aimed at enhancing caribou population growth through seasonal maternal penning. We collected health metrics from 46 female Klinse-Za caribou between 2014 and 2021. The health metrics included trace minerals, cortisol, biomarkers for inflammation, and pathogen prevalence. We compared these health metrics between penned and non-penned animals, reproductive and non-reproductive females, and nearby subpopulations. We provide correlative evidence linking reproductive success to trace nutrients but find no evidence for relationships with stress, exposure to pathogens, or biomarkers of inflammation. Based on the health metrics considered, Klinse-Za caribou were generally healthy relative to neighboring subpopulations and repeat capture for penning did not appear to create accumulated health issues. Penned caribou had lower fecal cortisol levels and inflammation markers compared to free-ranging animals. This work provides a baseline assessment of southern mountain caribou health and provides guidance on maternal penning activities in support of caribou recovery.

Habitat loss is affecting many species, including the southern mountain caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) population in western North America. Over the last half century, this threatened caribou population's range and abundance have dramatically contracted. An integrated population model was used to analyze 51 years (1973–2023) of demographic data from 40 southern mountain caribou subpopulations to assess the effectiveness of population‐based recovery actions at increasing population growth. Reducing potential limiting factors on threatened caribou populations offered a rare opportunity to identify the causes of decline and assess methods of recovery. Southern mountain caribou abundance declined by 51% between 1991 and 2023, and 37% of subpopulations were functionally extirpated. Wolf reduction was the only recovery action that consistently increased population growth when applied in isolation, and combinations of wolf reductions with maternal penning or supplemental feeding provided rapid growth but were applied to only four subpopulations. As of 2023, recovery actions have increased the abundance of southern mountain caribou by 52%, compared to a simulation with no interventions. When predation pressure was reduced, rapid population growth was observed, even under contemporary climate change and high levels of habitat loss. Unless predation is reduced, caribou subpopulations will continue to be extirpated well before habitat conservation and restoration can become effective.