Just saw this newspaper article (excerpted below) about a new scientific paper reviewing changes in caribou across the globe.

Jeff

Caribou populations have shrunk by 60 per cent in 30 years, study finds

'The future seems very bleak for the species,' researcher says

RANDY BOSWELL

Vancouver Sun / Edmonton Journal /
Montreal Gazette

A Canadian study of global caribou populations has produced what scientists are calling a "dramatic revelation" that numbers of the iconic species -- pictured on the Canadian quarter -- have plunged 60 per cent in the past 30 years.

The study, co-authored by University of Alberta biologists Liv Vors and Mark Boyce and published in the journal Global Change Biology, also shows that most of the dozens of distinct caribou herds in Canada and each of the four subspecies -- Woodland, Barren-ground, Grant's and Peary -- are experiencing serious declines due to climate change and habitat pressures from humans.

"The future seems very bleak for the species if things don't change," Vors told Canwest News Service on Thursday, describing the caribou as "one of the last symbols of wild
Canada."