Overview
In August 2019, the province created caribou sub-regional task forces to advise government on land-use planning at a local scale, including caribou recovery actions. Each Caribou Sub-regional Task Force includes representatives from local municipalities, Indigenous communities and organizations, the energy sector, the forestry sector, trappers, recreational users, environmental non-government organizations, and other local stakeholders and knowledge holders.
Task Forces will now develop recommendations for the following planning areas: Wandering River, Berland, and Chinchaga. These will cover the East-Side-Athabasca, Little Smoky, A La Peche, and Chinchaga caribou ranges.
Click below for maps of sub-regional planning areas:
- Caribou Sub-regions in Alberta map
- Wandering River sub-regional planning area
- Berland sub-regional planning area
- Chinchaga sub-regional planning area
Recommendations from these task forces will support the development of sub-regional plans for the respective planning area. Each sub-regional plan that is developed will go out for public, stakeholder, and Indigenous engagement, providing future opportunities for all Albertans to shape these plans before they are finalized.
Previous task forces
Initially, 3 task forces focused their efforts on providing recommendations to government on draft sub-regional plans for Cold Lake, Bistcho Lake, and Upper Smoky planning areas, which address recovery outcomes for the Bistcho, Cold Lake, Narraway, and Redrock-Prairie Creek caribou ranges.
Click below for maps of sub-regional planning areas:
- Cold Lake sub-regional planning area
- Bistcho Lake sub-regional planning area
- Upper Smoky sub-regional planning area
Task force recommendations for each area were submitted to government in 2020. In 2021 public, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities and organizations were engaged on the draft Cold Lake and Bistcho Lake sub-regional plans with the related regulatory details engagement followed in 2024.
Engagement on the draft Upper Smoky sub-regional plan and related regulatory details will occur in 2025. Learn more about the Upper Smoky sub-regional plan engagement and related regulatory details.
Click below for the recommendation reports:
- Cold Lake Task Force Recommendations Report
- Bistcho Lake Task Force Recommendations Report
- Upper Smoky Task Force Recommendations Report
Click below for the sub-regional plans:
Related information
- Alberta Woodland Caribou Recovery Plan
- Caribou Protection Plan
- Caribou Range Maps
- Species at Risk Publications and Web Resources: Mammals
See under the Woodland Caribou section of this page for the following document: Status of the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Alberta - Task Force Members
- Woodland Caribou Policy for Alberta
- Final Canada - Alberta Conservation Agreement for Woodland Caribou (s.11)
- First report on the implementation of the section 11 agreement for the conservation and recovery of woodland caribou in Alberta
Federal recovery strategies and guiding documents
- Action Plan for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada - Federal Actions
- Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Boreal population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Canada
- Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou, Southern Mountain population (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Canada
- Report on the Progress of Recovery Strategy Implementation for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal population in Canada for the Period 2012 to 2017