Prioritizing Zones for Caribou Habitat Restoration in the COSIA Area

To date, mitigation efforts aimed at reducing impacts on boreal caribou in Alberta have been implemented at a local scale (i.e., site, project, lease). However, to effect population-level changes, mitigation must be implemented at a range scale. This project developed a method of prioritizing habitat restoration that maximizes the benefit to caribou given limited resources. This method calculates caribou habitat gains under differing scenarios involving current industrial activity, future development potential, and wildfire burns.

The final zonation developed for the COSIA land EPA provides an objective starting point for guiding future restoration planning by recommending reclamation areas that provide the greatest reclamation gains for cost.