Newfoundland's Wilderness Reserves: A playground for caribou

A Woodland Caribou browsing in the Avalon Wilderness Reserve
Photograph credit: David Tilley

 

    What do you get when you set aside thousands of square kilometres of wilderness area in hopes that the local caribou herd will call it home?  You get the Avalon and Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserves located on the island of Newfoundland.

    So what exactly is a Wilderness Reserve anyway and why can't I park my RV there?

    Wilderness areas are large areas of protected land managed for wildlife conservation.  Unlike National Parks, wilderness areas do not typically have facilities and access to recreational activities.  They are maintained in their natural condition with limited anthropogenic influences. Many wilderness reserves are designed for the benefit of large animals which require large home ranges, uninfluenced by humans.  Wilderness reserves can also be used for scientific research and traditional cultural activities, as long as it minimizes its impact on the landscape (Dudley, 2008).  On the island of Newfoundland, there are two wilderness reserves: Avalon Wilderness Reserve and Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserve.

    The Avalon Wilderness Reserve, located on the Avalon Peninsula just a short drive from St. John's, is home to the woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou). Caribou have been in Newfoundland since the end of the last ice age, roughly 8000 years ago.  However, over the last two hundred years the population of caribou in Newfoundland have been on a roller-coaster ride.  One hundred years ago, populations decreased to just a few animals. A select number of animals were moved from the Northern Peninsula to the Avalon Peninsula in the 1960's.  Their population exploded from just a few animals to around 6000 by the 1990's.  However, due to a Scandinavian brain worm, populations dropped significantly since then and now present population estimates are as little as one tenth of what they were just two decades ago.

    Newfoundland's other Wilderness Reserve is the Bay du Nord Wilderness Reserve.  It also is home to a woodland caribou herd, however this herd is much larger with an estimated population of 15,000 animals.  Similarly to the Avalon Wilderness Reserve, this area has no roads and is one of the few remaining pristine areas in Newfoundland.  In both reserves, light recreational activities such as hiking, fishing and controlled hunting occur.

    So, that's why you can't park your RV there.

Sources:


Dudley, N.  (2008). Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. x + 86pp.


Tilley, D. (2006). A Guide to our Wilderness and Ecological Reserve. Department of Environment and Conservation, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Advance online publication. Retrieved from http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/publications/parks/reserves_web.pdf