More than $300,000 is being allocated for conservation projects in the Omineca region.
The funding is coming from the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF), which has provided grants for conservation projects for over 40 years.
“The many different ecosystems in British Columbia, and the wildlife they support, are vital to the quality and way of life for so many in this amazing province,” said Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston.
“From forests to rivers to oceans, better knowledge means better protection for the organisms that call these ecosystems home.”
One of projects in the Omineca region receiving the funding is a multi-year project to study the impacts of landscape changes on moose health.
The project is in its first of three years, and is being led by UNBC.
“Moose are a keystone species that play an integral ecological role in predator-prey systems, are culturally significant to First Nations, and economically important to the hunting and guiding communities in BC,” said Project Lead Heather Bryan.
“Moose populations fluctuate over time. In the last decade, however, moose populations in parts of interior BC have declined by up to 70 per cent. The research in this project will contribute to broader, provincially-led research by evaluating the role of climate and landscape change on moose parasitism, nutrition, and immune responses, and generate useful information for wildlife and forest management.”
The project is receiving $80,662 in co-funding from the HTCF and the Forest Enhancement Society of BC.
Other projects in the Omenica region receiving funding from the HCTF include:
- $27,500 to better understand Stone’s sheep ranges through defining herd boundaries and habitat selection to monitor and evaluate population trends and habitat management options.
- $53,000 to restore habitat along 86 kilometres of roads to reduce human and wildlife predator access within core habitat for the Chase caribou herd.
- $3,462 for mule deer monitoring and ground surveys in the Nechako Valley to provide current conditions and long-term data management decisions.
In total, $8 million is being distributed to 168 fish and wildlife conservation projects across the province.