The effects of COVID-19 mediated reduction of human recreation on the movement ecology of southern mountain caribou.

Southern mountain caribou inhabit high elevation forests and parkland in late winter when snow depth facilitates access to arboreal lichens, their preferred winter food source. Use of these habitats coincides with human recreational use of these same areas by helicopter skiing, commercial backcountry skiing and snowmobiling (backcountry recreation).
The COVID-19 related travel restrictions implemented in 2021 resulted in the cessation (heli-skiing) or severe reduction in human recreational use of these environments. Our research will examine whether home range size, movement metrics and habitat use differed between years when backcountry recreation was occurring normally (2019 and 2020), the ‘anthropause’ period (2021) and the period after the COVID-19 related travel restrictions were lifted (2022).
Understanding the effects of human disturbance on this species will inform management decisions around recreational tenure management in BC.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Noonan

Student:

Partner:

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

The University of British Columbia - Okanagan

Program: