Mountain caribou recovery plan unveiled

VICTORIA, British Columbia --British Columbia leaders announced a plan Tuesday to rebuild endangered mountain caribou herds, including protecting about 8,500 square miles of land and killing some of the caribou's predators.

Agriculture Minister Pat Bell said the government's plan includes providing at least $3 million over three years to help rebuild the herds to pre-1995 levels of 2,500 caribou in the province.

There are currently about 1,900 caribou in 12 B.C. herds. Some of the animals cross the border into the United States, where they are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

Part of the B.C. plan includes culling the animals that prey on the mountain caribou -- wolves, cougars and sometimes bears. The culls should only involve a few animals, Bell said.

The deal was cheered by environmental groups, the forest industry and recreational enthusiasts as a collaborative effort to save the mountain caribou.

The government's previous caribou plans had included the possibility of allowing some herds to go extinct.

Concerns about the survival of the unique species came from a wide cross-section of people inside and outside Canada, which convinced the government to reach out to environmental, business and recreational groups, Bell said.

The protected land, totaling about 5.4 million acres, will be in pockets of caribou territory that range from the Kootenay region in southeastern British Columbia, to the Mackenzie region in the northeastern part of the province.

The land will be protected from logging and road building. Recreation activities in the designated caribou areas will be managed to ensure the habitat lands of the herds are protected, the government said.

Mountain caribou are unique to the province because they are the world's southernmost population and the only remaining population that lives in rugged, mountainous terrain.