Have Your Say on the Draft Best Management Practices to Mitigate Road Impacts on Barren-Ground Caribou

Press Release

June 9, 2026

Draft Best Management Practices to mitigate the effects of roads on barren-ground caribou are now ready for public feedback.  Public engagement is a crucial part of the process.

Roads associated with industrial development and community access can affect caribou movement, habitat, and survival. The draft Best Management Practices bring together Traditional Knowledge, western science, and lessons learned from research and monitoring. Together, these perspectives provide practical guidance for lessening the impact of road developments on barren-ground caribou, while continuing to support community access and responsible development across the North.

Barren-ground caribou are an important species in the Northwest Territories. Habitat loss, fragmentation from industrial development and increased predation/hunting pressures have been identified as their biggest threats. Barren-ground caribou are currently listed as threatened under the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. They are known as a keystone species, both culturally and ecologically. This means they’re integral to a people’s cultural identity, and they play such a critical role in an ecosystem that without them, it risks collapse.

Roads are essential for community access and economic development in the North. How the roads are planned, built, operated and closed can make a difference for caribou movement, habitat and long-term survival. The draft Best Management Practices are intended to support and provide guidance for projects and road developments.

Your feedback will help shape the final version of these Best Management Practices and make sure they reflect northern values, realities and priorities.

Have your say on the draft Best Management Practices by July 15 here: https://haveyoursay.nwt-tno.ca/best-management-practices-for-mitigating-the-effects-of-roads-on-barren-ground-caribou-in-the-nwt

Quick facts

• The draft BMPs apply to both public and private roads, including all-season and winter roads, and are intended to complement existing legislation, land use plans, and regulatory requirements.
• The draft BMPs were developed by the Government of the Northwest Territories with support from WSP Canada Inc. and are informed by Indigenous Knowledge and western science through a review of 60 studies and reports, and input from 30 subject matter experts from across northern Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia.
• The draft Best Management Practices support the implementation of the Bathurst Caribou Range Plan.

Related links

• Have Your Say
• Draft BMPs for Mitigating the Effects of Roads on Barren-ground Caribou
• Caribou in the NWT

For media requests, please contact:
Environment and Climate Change
Government of the Northwest Territories
ECC_Communications@gov.nt.ca

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