The Torngat Mountains, located in northern Labrador, is home to the Torngat Mountain Caribou (TMC) herd. The TMC has only recently been established as their own herd and have therefore been understudied in comparison to other caribou herds in Canada. This deficiency in data limits how interested parties, including Parks Canada and local Inuit communities, can manage the population.
Alex Johnson, a recent Master of Environmental Studies graduate from the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, studied the past, present, and future state of the TMC. Her master’s thesis summarized existing data, identified knowledge gaps, and contributed new insights to this distinct animal herd.
The findings can be used by caribou managers to identify areas of high forage value and better understand how these areas are changing. These high forage value areas can then be prioritized for conservation actions to prevent caribou from becoming forage limited.
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