Caribou Management Strategies

Caribou Management Strategies Best Practices for the Mineral Industry

Acknowledgements This report was prepared with contributions from the following individuals and organizations: Matthew Pickard, Vice President, Environment & Sustainability, Sabina Gold & Silver Corp Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada Jeff Killeen, Director, Policy & Programs Munisha Basiram, Analyst, Indigenous & Regulatory Affairs The members of PDAC Lands & Regulations Committee Study Participants The study team wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the following organizations who generously donated their time to the project: Agnico Eagle Mines Cameco Corporation De Beers Canada Dominion Diamond Mines New Gold Inc. Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Saskatchewan Mining Association Land & People Planning Study Team Jason Petrunia, Principal Will Baker, Associate

Disclaimer The information contained herein may be incomplete or inaccurate owing to a lack of available information at the time of the report, changes in policy affecting government regulations, changes in company policy with respect to wildlife management programming, and / or inaccurate information provided to or obtained by the study team during the course of research.

2

Table of Contents 1

INTRODUCTION

4

2

UNDERSTANDING IMPACTS TO CANADA’S CARIBOU

11

2.1

Barren Ground Herds

11

2.2

Woodland Populations

11

3

INDUSTRY MITIGATION STRATEGIES

13

3.1

Principles of Caribou Management

13

3.2 Early & Intermediate Exploration 3.2.1 Prospecting & Staking 3.2.2 Intermediate Exploration (Drilling)

13 13 14

3.3 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3

Advanced Exploration & Construction Access / Haul Roads Environmental Assessment and Planning for Development Offsetting

17 17 20 21

3.4

Operation – Finding Appropriate Mitigations

23

4

INDUSTRY SUPPORTS CARIBOU RESEARCH & POPULATION RECOVERY

25

5

RECOMMENDATIONS

26

6

APPENDICES

27

6.1

Appendix A - Links to Online Resources

27

6.2

Appendix B - Notes

29

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

1 Introduction Caribou conservation is an important topic for Indigenous peoples, industry, conservation groups, hunters, and the general public. The economy, jobs, government revenues, Indigenous traditional values, and our natural environment are all under consideration when we discuss caribou.

Canada’s mineral development industry has responded to calls from Indigenous peoples, regulators, and a variety of stakeholders to implement measures to protect Canada’s caribou populations from potential impacts of mineral exploration and mining. The objective of this report is to bring together and compare work undertaken by several mining and exploration companies operating in Canada to mitigate project impacts to Canada’s caribou populations.

Based on this review, the report provides an overview of potential impacts to caribou populations and examples of industry management practices used to mitigate these impacts. In this way, the report functions as an educational piece for PDAC to help our members plan projects, prepare to undertake permitting activities, and engage communities around environmental impacts. The report is also a way for PDAC to showcase some of the best practices in the sector, raise awareness of industry efforts to address the problem of population decline among Canada’s diverse caribou populations, and suggest ways for governments, communities, and industry to work together to inform development of evidence-based caribou conservation policy.

INTRODUCING IMPACTS TO CARIBOU In general, caribou populations are vulnerable to environmental impacts that can affect migration to and from seasonal ranges, damage or fragment habitat, increase predator efficiency, and attract competing ungulates, such as moose and deer, that can spread disease among caribou.

Caribou are also vulnerable to sensory disturbances that can trigger avoidance of certain areas. Finally, caribou population levels are negatively affected by hunting, vehicle collisions, and other instances that lead directly to caribou mortality.

Physical and sensory disturbances that may affect caribou populations and health include:       

Linear disturbances such as trails, roads, and seismic lines Area disturbances such as cutovers / clearings and burned areas Deforestation and damage to habitat caused by climate change, forest fires, and insects Physical barriers such as buildings, fences, and embankments Dust and noise from traffic, industrial operations, and other activities Traffic collisions Overhunting

This report will identify potential impacts of mineral development projects that may affect Caribou populations.

4

CANADA’S CARIBOU Canada is home to three subspecies of Caribou: Peary caribou (whose range is confined to the Queen Elizabeth Islands), barren ground caribou, and woodland caribou. This report is concerned with the barren ground and woodland subspecies. 

Barren Ground Caribou Migratory herds that travel back and forth between the arctic tundra of Nunavut and NWT to the boreal and subarctic zones of NWT and the prairie provinces. The Bathurst, Beverly-Ahiak, and Bluenose herds are some of the most well-known.



Woodland Caribou Non-migratory herds of approximately 30-40 individuals occupy northern boreal forests from Yukon to Labrador, mountainous regions of BC, and the Peace Region of BC and Alberta. Some migratory herds move between subarctic regions and the boreal forests of Ontario, Quebec, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Labrador, where they overwinter.

Barren ground caribou on the tundra (Photo credit: Sabina)

This report will identify the habits of barren ground and woodland caribou insofar as they help to explain the vulnerability of certain populations to some mineral development activities, ranging from early-stage temporary exploration camps to longer term mining operations.

Selkirk Caribou, BC (Source: Nelson Star)

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

5

6

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

7

INPUTS INTO MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES The mineral development companies whose initiatives are documented in this report employ a variety of evidence-based interventions to protect caribou populations in arctic, boreal, and sub-boreal regions.

In Canada’s arctic, maintaining barren ground caribou population levels is of utmost importance to many Indigenous peoples who have traditionally relied on caribou for sustenance. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) provided by Indigenous peoples is central to efforts by mineral proponents such as Sabina Gold & Silver, Agnico Eagle Mines, Dominion Diamond Mines, and others to develop caribou management strategies, especially where government support in the form of collaring, aerial survey, or satellite image data is lacking. In these locations, mitigation measures, monitoring, and staged responses to caribou sightings are developed in coordination with Indigenous communities and organizations that bring knowledge of the habits of caribou populations and their observed responses to physical and sensory disturbances to the table. Companies that operate successfully with the support of Indigenous communities to protect caribou and other wildlife assign as much value to TEK and IQ as they do to Western scientific data.

In more southerly regions, where a federal Woodland Caribou Recovery Strategy establishes that caribou require a minimum of 65% undisturbed habitat in order for their populations to remain or become self-sustaining,1 leading companies are focusing efforts on establishing or restoring unfragmented habitat outside of their project’s zone of influence to compensate for habitat loss or fragmentation. This requires extensive research to identify suitable caribou habitat and accumulation and analysis of scientific data, TEK, and IQ to identify herd movements and restore habitat. In some regions, establishing suitable caribou offsets can be challenging due to

the presence of burned areas, existing claims, and easements.

This report will identify some of the steps that can be taken to establish effective in-kind and in-lieu offsetting measures.

Finally, this report highlights the efforts of several companies to meet or exceed regulations and work closely with Indigenous communities to understand, monitor, and implement plans to protect barren ground and woodland herds in several jurisdictions, recognizing that the impacts of exploration projects are different in nature and scale to those associated with mine development and operation.

The mineral development firms whose efforts are documented in this report utilize a variety of interventions to protect vulnerable caribou populations in arctic, boreal, and subboreal regions, where global warming, anthropogenic activities, and other disturbances may impact population levels and herd health.

Caribou on the tundra (Photo credit: Andrei Douglas)

8

FIGURE 1. MIGRATION ROUTES & CROSSINGS IDENTIFIED THROUGH SATELLITE COLLARING AND IQ Collaring and IQ data obtained by Sabina agree that the company’s Back River project is unlikely to have an impact on the annual migrations of the Bathurst and Beverly / Ahiak herds (Sabina, “Caribou Protection Measures: Back River Project (July 2017).”

Caribou north of Baker Lake, NU (Photo credit: Agnico Eagle)

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

9

REPORT METHODOLOGY Desktop Research Desktop research for this study included review and analysis of scholarly literature describing the habits of Canada’s barren ground and woodland caribou and the potential relationship between mineral development and fluctuations in caribou population levels. In addition, media sources that identify examples of government, industry, and community initiatives to protect caribou populations were consulted. Provincial and territorial caribou range plans, recovery strategies, and bestpractices guides were reviewed to establish an understanding of regulations around caribou protection and to identify mitigation measures best employed in the early stages of the mineral development sequence.

Finally, environmental assessment statements for several mineral development projects were reviewed to provide examples of industry efforts to identify potential impacts to caribou and propose mitigations and offsetting measures for the operational phase of their projects. Records of advancedstage, large-scale projects were selected for review as they offer an opportunity to examine relatively robust caribou monitoring and mitigation plans.

Outreach and Consultation Representatives of Cameco, the Saskatchewan Mining Association, New Gold, Sabina, Agnico Eagle, and Dominion agreed to be interviewed for this study to discuss their efforts to work with Indigenous organizations and regulators to develop caribou management strategies in their respective jurisdictions.

Boreal Caribou (Source: Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.

2013. Conservation Strategy for Boreal Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Fish and Wildlife Technical Report 2014)

10

2 Understanding Impacts to Canada’s Caribou 2.1 Barren Ground Herds TEK and IQ are some of the most important sources of information about the several barren ground herds that migrate annually back and forth across the tundra and into the boreal regions of NWT, Nunavut, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to winter. However, in recent years, in response to observed declines in some caribou populations, notably the Bathurst Herd, whose range spans the Nunavut-NWT border and historically stretched as far north as Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut, the governments of Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and the Tłı̨ chǫ Government have increasingly incorporated western scientific methods to understand the reasons behind population decline and worked with stakeholders to build a regulatory regime that aims to prevent further decline and ensure a self-sustaining population. Dominion has been particularly committed to building knowledge of the causes of population decline and establishing effective mitigation strategies around their projects.2

2.2 Woodland Populations Regulatory approaches to Woodland Caribou management focus on the predator-prey relationship. Linear and area disturbances that improve predator sight lines and attract other ungulates such as dear and moose favour predators (mainly wolves, but also bears, coyotes, lynx, and wolverines) and may contribute to caribou population decline.

Woodland caribou have been shown in some studies to avoid, by several kilometers, area disturbances and activities that generate sensory disturbances such as noise and dust.3 Avoidance of disturbed areas can impede access to calving and foraging grounds, increase animal stress, and affect caribou fecundity. Evidence also suggests that even linear disturbances occurring outside of favourable caribou habitat may increase successful predation of other ungulates, resulting in predator population spillover into caribou ranges.4 Therefore, cumulative impacts must be considered in addition to direct project-induced impacts when proposing mitigations.

Potential impacts to caribou population levels and herd health are identified in Table 1 below.

Scientific studies do not tend to show, to any definitive degree, how any single anthropogenic activity has contributed to observed declines in barren-ground caribou populations. It is therefore difficult to determine, with certainty, the role individual mineral development projects have played in any declines. Governments and Indigenous communities instead tend to analyze population decline in light of cumulative impacts. Regulators point to potential barriers to migration, including mine sites, roads, pipelines and other infrastructure, and sensory disturbances from land vehicles, aircraft, and heavy machinery, which may impede access to foraging and calving grounds and increase animal stress, as potential factors in declines in caribou fecundity.

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

11

TABLE 1. POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO CARIBOU ACROSS THE MINERAL DEVELOPMENT SEQUENCE ACTIVITY / DISTURBANCE

EARLY & INTERMEDIATE EXPLORATION

Cut lines / seismic lines Aircraft use (helicopter and fixed-wing) Drilling (expanded drill programs in later phases)

STRESS/ AVOIDANCE

DAMAGE TO HABITAT

DIRECT MORTALITY

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Pitting & Trenching

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Stripping

ADVANCED EXPLORATION & CONSTRUCTION

Bulk Sampling & Hauling Access road construction

-

Large-scale blasting

ATTRACTS HUNTERS

ATTRACTS COMPETING UNGULATES & PREDATORS

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Mine site construction Transmission lines

-

-

Camps

Trail construction

IMPROVES PREDATOR EFFICIENCY

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Tailings / waste rock facilities Mining

-

Hauling

-

Removal of mine facilities

-

-

PRODUCTION

CLOSURE

-

* Note: Activities and impacts listed in the Early / Intermediate stages of the mineral development sequence are amplified in later stages of development.

12

3 Industry Mitigation Strategies 3.1 Principles of Caribou Management The principles of “avoid,” “minimize,” “mitigate,” “restore,” and “offset,” guide best management practices and regulatory approvals with respect to caribou management planning around mineral development projects. However, it should be noted that impacts to caribou and corresponding mitigations will change with the scale of activity.

In the early and intermediate stages of the mineral development sequence, that is, from prospecting and staking through to the completion of a drill program, disturbances that may impact caribou are few, and, in most cases, temporary.

Within these early stages, it is important to consider implementing mitigation measures based on available information. As operations progress and there are no observable impacts to caribou, it may not be necessary to alter established mitigations.

Beyond building an understanding of existing best practices such as those offered by provincial and territorial governments, early engagement with Indigenous communities can be an effective way to begin to build an understanding of local caribou populations and seasonal ranges while meeting community expectations around engagement and consultation.

As projects enter advanced exploration and move through the federal and provincial environmental assessment phase, planning for controlling mitigations within a project’s zone of influence, monitoring, and, potentially, offsetting become more important.

3.2 Early & Intermediate Exploration As depicted in Table 1 above, some activities associated with subsurface drilling, camp construction and resupply, and logistics may have an impact upon caribou, including:       

Claim blazing Line cutting Construction of small trails Construction of small tent / trailer camps prior to detection of a mineral deposit, followed by larger camps during deposit evaluation Air and overland resupply and logistics Drilling Pitting and trenching

Prior to identification of a mineral deposit it is unlikely that land-based activities will impact caribou even temporarily.

However, following discovery of a potential economic deposit, during the evaluation phase, activities associated with subsurface drilling, camp construction, and camp resupply and logistics may have an impact on caribou.

Most disturbances within the early and intermediate exploration phase will be temporary and can be mitigated effectively with careful planning and, importantly, ongoing restoration of disturbed habitat. When anchored by knowledge of local caribou ranges obtained through a proactive strategy of early engagement with communities and systematic review of available provincial and territorial data, mitigation strategies can be particularly effective.

3.2.1

Prospecting & Staking

Early exploration activities focus on scientific analytic methods to identify a mineral deposit, including geochemical and geophysical surveying, which can be conducted on the ground or using aircraft. Much of the analysis is conducted using

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

13

desktop methods. In some jurisdictions claim staking is done exclusively online. Increasing reliance on desktop research and data collection has reduced the need to conduct field activities.

Some field activities, such as sampling and prospecting, ground and aerial surveys, and line cutting can produce limited temporary physical and sensory disturbances that can result in caribou avoidance and increase in predator efficiency.

Relatively straightforward mitigations that require little concerted research of caribou ranges or valued habitat can reduce potential impacts.

BEST PRACTICES IN EARLY EXPLORATION Line cutting and claim blazing These activities may result in minimal physical disturbances resulting in caribou stress, and, in the case of line cutting, increase predator movement and search efficiency. Staff should:   

Use hand tools to avoid sensory disturbances leading to caribou avoidance Avoid unnecessary felling of trees and destruction of valuable forest features When line cutting is unavoidable, cut lines should be kept to 1.5m or less, when possible Ground & aerial surveys

Ground surveys that require cords and cables can be harmful to caribou and trigger caribou avoidance. Staff should:  

Ensure there are no cables or other connectivity left on the forest floor or canopy during prolonged periods of disuse Conduct aerial surveys at high altitudes to mitigate sensory impacts when caribou are present during sensitive seasons, including migration and calving

Trail construction At the prospecting stage, it may be necessary to utilize small trails to facilitate movement of staff, light vehicles, and equipment through the bush. Trail construction may increase predator efficiency. Staff should: 

When possible, use pre-existing trails and natural corridors Restore trails as operations wind down or early exploration trails become redundant



3.2.2

Intermediate Exploration (Drilling)

Following discovery of a promising mineral deposit, evaluation of the deposit centres on subsurface drilling and the logistical operations and construction activities required to transport drill components and staff to the project site, assemble the drill, and prepare the site. Logistical operations may include air and marine transportation of the drill equipment and possibly hauling the drill to the project site using heavy equipment. Onsite construction activities focus on removal of overburden from the rock face. Construction of temporary infrastructure (e.g., access roads and exploration camps) and improvement of existing infrastructure (e.g., culvert repair) may also be required. Each of the following activities may result in temporary or semi-permanent impacts to caribou:      

Construction and improvement of access roads Overland hauling and logistics Air re-supply Construction and operation of small camps Drilling and drill pad construction Pitting & trenching

14

PLANNING MITIGATIONS FOR A DRILL PROGRAM Prior to commencement of drilling, exploration companies should initiate discussions with potentially impacted Indigenous communities to discuss environmental and economic project impacts as well as impacts to valued heritage resources. In areas with high-value caribou habitat, caribou protection and proposed mitigations will likely be a topic of discussion. Many Indigenous communities may provide information about caribou population health, current and historical range use, and observations about caribou responses to previous projects. As the project becomes more advanced, it is important to engage with different members and organizations within the community such as Chief and Council, community land-use staff, Elders, and hunters and trappers, to obtain as much information about caribou as possible.

Proponents can prepare for early discussions by consulting a range of provincial and territorial materials documenting the location of caribou populations and high-value habitat, including provincial caribou recovery strategies, range plans, and best practices manuals.

If neither TEK, IQ, or desktop research reveals the presence of caribou or high-value habitat, there is no need to pursue caribou-specific project mitigations. However, if the project falls within or is expected to impact seasonal caribou ranges or migration routes, some degree of monitoring and mitigation will likely become necessary. The nature of the mitigations will be contingent upon the scale of the project and number and degree of anticipated impacts.

The following measures can be employed to avoid or mitigate impacts to caribou at the intermediate exploration stage:

Camp construction and operation Exploration camps in the intermediate stage may damage habitat, attract predators, and lead to caribou avoidance of the area. Staff should:     

Where possible, build camp structures upon existing clearings Predator-proof camps with locked waste containers Train camp staff to avoid caribou found in the vicinity of the project and record and report any caribou sightings Restore cleared areas when drill pads are no longer necessary Avoid unnecessary idling of drills Overland hauling and logistics

Vehicular traffic on trails and small access roads during intermediate exploration will likely be extremely limited and the potential for collisions with caribou remote. However, traffic along these routes can trigger caribou avoidance. In areas containing high-value caribou habitat, staff should:  

Learn about caribou uses during sensitive seasons Where possible, limit traffic along these corridors in sensitive seasons Air re-supply

In some remote locations without road access, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are needed to transport essential equipment, such as drill components, staff, and supplies to project sites. Noise from aircrafts can trigger caribou avoidance. When possible, i.e., without compromising human safety, staff should: 

Instruct pilots not to land or take off when caribou are present and turn off propellers as soon as possible after landing

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

15



Gently guide caribou out of the immediate area without use of vehicles or machinery Drilling and drill pad construction

Many of the mitigations proposed this section are recommended in the provincial and territorial guidance documents listed below in “Useful Resources.”

USEFUL RESOURCES

Drill rigs are installed on small, clear areas of land. Water pumps connected to lakes, rivers, and streams provide water to the drill hole. Clearings and trails associated with these activities can negatively impact caribou. When possible, staff should:    

Use pre-existing clearings for drill pad construction Restore clearings when they are no longer required Minimize the number of trails to the shoreline to set up water pumps Avoid cutting down large trees unless necessary

Pitting & trenching Pitting and trenching involve removal of overburden to allow for a better look at the rock beneath the surface. Resulting pits are small, shallow holes, while trenches are larger, linear excavations. These activities may damage habitat and cause physical harm or stress to caribou. Staff should:    

The following documents provide guidance around measures that can be employed to avoid or mitigate impacts to caribou populations across the mineral development sequence, including in its earliest stages: Best Management Practices for Mineral Exploration & Development Activities and Woodland Caribou in Ontario (Government of Ontario) Guidance for the Development of Caribou Mitigation and Monitoring Plans for South Peace Northern Caribou (Government of BC) Notice of Work Permit Conditions and Operational Guidance for Mineral Exploration Activity in Mountain Caribou Habitat (Government of BC) Bathurst Caribou Range Plan (Government of NWT)

Construct trenches to allow for easy escape of caribou Add physical barriers or visual markers to demarcate excavations Backfill excavations to a stable angle of repose and restore as soon as possible Avoid unnecessary use and idling of heavy machinery and other equipment

16

3.3 Advanced Exploration & Construction Advanced exploration entails an amplification of the activities undertaken in the intermediate exploration phase, including more drills, larger camps, and more staff. Cutovers increase in size and number, leading to greater area disturbances.

In addition to continuation and adaptation to a larger scale of the management activities described in the previous section, Caribou management in the advanced exploration phase should introduce more rigorous monitoring protocols to detect caribou presence and observe their interactions with the project site, especially in sensitive seasons. In addition to strengthening existing mitigations, increased monitoring can help proponents assemble information to submit to regulators should the project advance to mine construction and operation. It is in this phase that planning for mine construction, and mitigations to be adopted during the operational phase of the mine, will be undertaken.

3.3.1

route has been identified. In order to proceed in a timely manner through Indigenous consultation activities and environmental assessments, the planned route should reflect analysis of TEK, IQ, and satellite collaring and landcover data provided by provincial and territorial governments, where available.

FIGURE 1. ACCESS ROAD MITIGATIONS

Access / Haul Roads

Planning around roads and transportation networks takes on a new dimension during advanced exploration. In this phase, bulk sampling of large quantities of ore brings transportation infrastructure requirements that cannot always be met with access trails used during earlier stages of exploration. In remote areas, construction of a permanent road or transportation network is required to facilitate this activity. In addition, it is in this phase that planning for mine development and operation takes place, including any plans to mitigate impacts to caribou populations. It is likely that in many locations, particularly in arctic and remote regions, roads will become a key focus of environmental assessments. Use of both TEK, IQ, and available western scientific data will be crucial to development of appropriate strategies.

Figure 1 illustrates standard mitigations that can be employed to manage impacts to caribou populations after a suitable CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

17

Measures adopted by Dominion to mitigate impacts to Bathurst Caribou along its Jay Road include: FIGURE 2. DOMINION’S JAY ROAD MITIGATIONS Crossings are located along 70% of the road, except where safety concerns require raised berms. Side slopes of the road are flatter at the crossings and topped with finer crushed rock particles. Pipelines are also covered with fine crushed rock.

Real-time collaring data supplied by the Government of NWT and other early detection systems enable early detection of caribou in the vicinity of the road, which trigger mitigation responses. Government collaring data can provide the location of collared individuals every 1 to 2 days

interactions with the company’s operations. During migration, the KIA has 1-2 representatives working either on site or in Baker Lake to monitor and provide advice to the caribou management program.

TABLE 2. AGNICO EAGLE ALL-WEATHER ACCESS ROAD (MELIADINE-RANKIN) CARIBOU MONITORING & MITIGATIONS (Information courtesy of Agnico Eagle) Response Level

1

# of Caribou detected (distance km)

Monitoring Response

1 (within 50km) (collaring data)

- Road surveys (every 2 days) - Review collaring data (2x weekly)

- Personnel put on notice for possible caribou encounter - Environmental Supervisor readies to initiate Level 3 mitigations

- Daily road surveys - Review collaring data daily (or as frequently as can be provided by GN

- Updates provided to drivers every 3 hours - KIA, HTO, and GN notified - Environmental Supervisor readies for Level 3

Convoy systems are employed to increase intervals between sensory disturbances 25 (4km) 2

Agnico Eagle’s monitoring and mitigation measures on its allweather access road between the Meliadine Mine and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut are influenced by spring and fall caribou migrations. Mitigation triggers involve consultations with the Kivalliq Inuit Association (KIA), Hunters and Trappers Organizations (HTOs), and the Government of Nunavut (GN).

Agnico Eagle’s road monitoring and mitigation plan is summarized in Table 2.

Caribou management and monitoring at Agnico Eagle’s Meadowbank-Whale Tail operations are resourced by an Environmental Superintendent along with approximately 4-6 on-site technicians during migration, including contract staff from the Baker Lake HTO, to monitor caribou distribution and

12 (4km) during calving

3 (Winter & Summer)

3 Sensitive Seasons (fall & spring migration, calving)

25 (1.5km)

Continue Level 2 monitoring

12 (5km) during calving

Mitigation

Duration

5 days

5 days

10 days (fall, spring migrations)

- Speed limits reduced (30km/hr) - Consult KIA, HTO, GN - Confirm caribou presence & location - Suspend nonessential vehicles - Restrict public access or alternatively permit vehicle convoys in consultation with KIA & HTO

5 days

18

Caribou Herds & Calving Grounds near Agnico Eagle’s Kivalliq Operations (Source: Agnico Eagle, Nunavut Mining Symposium, 2017). The Meadowbank-Whale Tail Mine and surface operations are located within the home range of the Ahiak, Lorillard, and Wager Bay herds, while the Meliadine Mine is located in close proximity to the calving grounds of the Lorillard and Qamanirjuaq herds.

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

19

3.3.2

Environmental Assessment and Planning for Development

Transportation routes and mine infrastructure that are planned with knowledge of caribou range use, habitat, and health are more likely to proceed through the environmental assessment process in a timely manner.

Noront Resource’s Environmental Terms of Reference for its Eagle’s Nest Environmental Assessment provides a good example of how knowledge of Caribou resources can be integrated into the EA process.

FIGURE 3. NORONT RESOURCES INPUT INTO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS (Source: Noront Resources Ltd. Eagle’s Nest Project Terms of Reference, 2012)

20

3.3.3

Offsetting

While offsetting measures will be implemented during mine construction and operation, planning for offsetting is undertaken during the advanced exploration phase of the mineral development sequence. Offsetting may be required when the anticipated impacts of mine construction and operation remain significant even after measures to avoid and mitigate disturbances are undertaken. They generally take two forms: in-kind or payment in-lieu. In-kind offsets involve compensation for potential impacts in one location through improvements or protections at another location. Payment inlieu offsets involve financial support to organizations that perform different activities to preserve and increase caribou population levels. Metrics that calculate offsetting contributions vary among jurisdictions and typically reflect the value of the habitat disturbed to caribou population units. In BC, habitat offsetting ratios are between 2:1 and 10:1, meaning that for every hectare disturbed by a project, between 2 and 10 hectares of suitable caribou habitat must be secured elsewhere.

In addition to the measures discussed above to mitigate impacts to Caribou along its Jay Road, a key part of the Ekati Mine Expansion, Dominion committed to several offsets when regulators deemed impacts to Bathurst Caribou from the Jay Project to be significant (see Figure 4)5.

FIGURE 4. DOMINION DIAMONDS JAY PROJECT (MINE EXPANSION) OFFSETTING PROGRAM Accelerate progressive reclamation at the existing Ekati tailings pond

Build ramps on existing waste rock storage areas at the main Ekati site

Incorporate options for scheduling of other Ekati mine operations during caribou migration periods

Indigenous Elders group to advise on construction and operation of the Jay Road esker crossing and waste rock pile egress ramps for caribou

Construct and operate an on-the-land culture camp in a traditionally used area near the mine expansion to maintain traditional Indigenous uses of the land and transfer that knowledge between generations

Determine and implement a methodology to measure offsets so that a net neutral or positive impact on the caribou herd can be achieved $1,050,000 to implement technically advanced caribou satellite collars, analyse the drivers of the project’s zone of influence, and support research into other factors responsible for the decline of the Bathurst caribou population

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

21

OFFSET CONSIDERATIONS Locating suitable undisturbed caribou habitat for offsetting can be challenging in areas that have been damaged by forest fires, contain transportation corridors, easements, forestry leases, and other land tenures. Figure 5 depicts potential steps companies can take to offset impacts to woodland caribou in locations with high levels of disturbance and / or areas experiencing multiple land uses.

Proponents that proactively reclaim disturbed areas within their mineral tenures, such as trails and cutovers, will be in a better position to demonstrate that the level of regional cumulative impacts should not prevent their project, including proposed transportation infrastructure, from moving forward.

Ongoing restoration and reclamation of disturbed areas will also reduce the time lag between the implementation and effect of offsetting measures.

Tweedsmuir-Entiako caribou in their winter range (Source: Burns Lake District News)

FIGURE 5. SUGGESTED OFFSETTING PROGRAM FOR WOODLAND CARIBOU

22

3.4 Operation – Finding Appropriate Mitigations During a project’s operational phase, unplanned shutdowns can be extremely costly. As part of their commitment to Indigenous communities and organizations, such as Inuit Associations, HTO’s, companies operating in Nunavut and NWT have committed to staged mitigations that can result in a complete shutdown of mining, road, and surface production operations in the event that caribou approach operations in significant numbers. In 2019, Agnico Eagle’s haul road from its Whale Tail Mine to the Meadowbank complex was shut for 60plus days to avoid negative impacts upon caribou populations.

FIGURE 6. SABINA’S HERD VULNERABILITY SCALE (SABINA, “CARIBOU PROTECTION MEASURES”).

Like Agnico Eagle, Sabina has established a tiered mitigation response plan that can result in unplanned or planned shutdowns in the event that Bathurst caribou relocate their calving and post-calving grounds atop its Back River site.6 Tiered responses are standard across the industry.

PLANNED OPERATIONAL SHUTDOWN RAPID OPERATIONAL SHUTDOWN

STAGED REDUCTION IN PROJECT ACTIVITIES

SITE ALERT

SITE NOTIFICATION

NORMAL OPERATIONS

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

23

Over the course of the development of its Wildlife Management and Mitigation Plan between 2013 and 2019, Sabina’s protection measures became more specific and discreet,7 taking into account the relative vulnerability of regional caribou herds. For example, management responses under Sabina’s adaptive plan will be less rigorous for the Beverly Herd than for the Bathurst Herd, which has a higher vulnerability score.8 The ability to maintain an accurate vulnerability scale depends on rigorous monitoring in coordination with the KIA, HTO, and the Hamlet of Cambridge Bay. Similarly, Sabina’s adaptive management approach depends on an ability to monitor caribou interactions with project infrastructure and activities. In addition to collaring data, video monitoring, camera capture, and wildlife monitors will be integral to understanding caribou behaviour. Mitigation measures will be reviewed and, if necessary, changed if caribou are found to avoid the site, appear startled by certain activities, engage in dangerous behaviour around the project, or if their stress hormone levels increase following onset of operations.

Photo credit: Sabina

Sabina’s malleable mitigation program is anticipated to reduce the need for shutdowns while simultaneously managing project impacts to caribou in a way that satisfies the goals of Inuit communities and organizations.

24

4 Industry Supports Caribou Research & Population Recovery Canada’s mining companies are important contributors to the study of Caribou habitat, health, and distribution, as well as efforts to protect endangered populations. The following are a few examples of industry contributions to important research and recovery initiatives.



In 2014-2015, Agnico Eagle and Canadian Malarctic Mine contributed financially to a Quebec government initiative to preserve the critically endangered Val d’Or herd by penning pregnant cows until post-calving12



In 2013, Teck Resources led an industry partnership with Indigenous communities to develop a penning program for pregnant Klinse-za cows to protect them from predation prior to, during, and following calving13

COLLARING & CREATION OF NEW SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE 

In Northern Saskatchewan, Cameco and the Saskatchewan Mining Association provided financial and in-kind support to researchers from the University of Saskatchewan to collar 94 individuals in the Saskatchewan Boreal Shield (SK1), followed by two largescale monitoring programs involving 143 collared females.

The results of the monitoring programs led to a revised provincial recovery strategy for woodland caribou in northern Saskatchewan.9



In Nunavut, TMAC Resources, Baffinland Iron Mines, and Agnico Eagle provide financial contributions to caribou population monitoring initiatives. Between 2008 and 2013 Agnico Eagle collaborated with the Government of Nunavut to collar 30 individuals.10

Pregnant cows snack in safety (Source: Teck.com)

PROTECTION & CONSERVATION 

BC’s mineral industry released 400,000 ha of high-value caribou habitat from potential mining activity to support the provincial government, West Moberly First Nations, and Salteaux First Nations’ recovery initiative for the Klinse-za Southern Mountain Caribou herd11

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

25

5 Recommendations 1. Governments to build capacity within Indigenous communities and organizations to study caribou population and health Federal and provincial governments currently provide funds to Indigenous communities to build consultation capacity around environmental assessment processes.

Both levels of government should invest in community initiatives to study herd health and range habitat and collect and store TEK / IQ. Funding can help communities develop land use plans and prepare for engagement with proponents at every stage of the mineral development sequence.

2. Governments to enhance funding for scientific studies Currently, publicly available scientific data in some jurisdictions is insufficient to prepare effective caribou population recovery strategies. With respect to barren ground caribou in particular, collaring data is insufficient to show population-level effects of project infrastructure and sensory disturbances on caribou, which impedes the development of effective caribou management programs, assessment of regional cumulative impacts, and offset planning. Federal, provincial, and territorial governments should enhance funding to internal and external researchers (universitybased researchers, Indigenous communities, and other communities of interest) to increase, share, and publicize relevant data on caribou populations and health.

3. Initiate early engagement between companies and Indigenous communities to better understand location of caribou and high value habitat In the earliest stages of mineral exploration, Indigenous communities’ knowledge of local caribou ranges and habitat can be important to the development of caribou management plans throughout the exploration stage and beyond. Exploration companies should work with Indigenous communities as early as possible in the project cycle to learn about the locations of caribou habitat and seasonal range uses prior to undertaking activities on their traditional territories.

4. Proponents to collaborate to share knowledge and mitigation strategies to build best practices Proponents should strive to work together within regions to share information on caribou populations, potential project impacts, and effective mitigations, such as design features for access roads, trails, and other linear corridors and operational mitigations.

Furthermore, proponents should collaborate to develop a program to share findings with regulators, communities, and stakeholders to contribute to effective conservation programs and improve environmental assessment capacity.

5. Exploration budgets to provide reclamation funds Proponents should earmark funds to undertake progressive reclamation of disturbed areas.

26

6 Appendices 6.1 Appendix A - Links to Online Resources INDUSTRY INITIATIVES De Souza, Sachi, Greg Sharam, Biran Milakovic. New Gold’s Approach to Quantifying a Habitat-Based Caribou Offset. Conference Proceeding, Minerals North 2019 (2019).

Hubert, Chuck. “A case study on the use of on-site offsets to mitigate impacts to caribou from diamond mining in Canada’s north.”

Conference Proceeding, International Association for Impact Assessment (2017).

Quesnel, Jamie and Robert, Stéphane. Caribou Monitoring & Mitigation: Agnico Eagle’s Experience. Conference Proceeding, Nunavut Mining Symposium (2017).

OPEN-SOURCE STUDIES DeMars, C.A., Boutin, S.. Nowhere to hide: Effects of linear features on predator-prey dynamics in a large mammal system. Journal of Animal Ecology 87(1), 274-284 (2018).

Festa-Bianchet, M., Ray, J.C., Boutin, S., Côté, S.D., and Gunn, A.. Conservation of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Canada: an uncertain future. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 89(5): 419-434 (2011).

Prno, J., Pickard, M. & Kaiyogana, J. Effective Community Engagement during the Environmental Assessment of a Mining Project in the Canadian Arctic. Environmental Management 67, 1000–1015 (2021).

Skatter, H.G., Charlebois, M.L., Eftestol, S., Tsegaye, D., Colman, J.E., Kansas, J.L., Flydal, K., and Balicki, B.. Living in a burned landscape: woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) use of postfire residual patches for calving in a high fire – low anthropogenic Boreal Shield ecozone. Canadian Journal of Zoology 15: 975-984 (2017).

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS Environment and Climate Change Canada. Amended Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal Population, in Canada [Proposed] (2020).

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

27

Government of British Columbia. Guidance for the Development of Caribou Mitigation and Monitoring Plans for South Peace Northern Caribou (2013).

Government of British Columbia. Notice of Work Permit Conditions and Operational Guidance for Mineral Exploration Activity in Mountain Caribou Habitat (n.d.).

Government of the Northwest Territories. Bathurst Caribou Range Plan (2019).

Government of Ontario. Best management practices for mineral exploration and development activities and Woodland Caribou in Ontario (n.d.)

Nunavut Wildlife Management Board. Review of post-2010 Literature on Human Effects on Barren-Ground Caribou: Focus on Traditional Knowledge, Western Science and Caribou Protection Measures (2015).

28

6.2 Appendix B - Notes * Cover page photo credit: Agnico Eagle.

1 Amended Recovery Strategy for the Woodland Caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou), Boreal population, in Canada (2020). An exception is the Saskatchewan Boreal Shield range (SK1), where a threshold of 40% undisturbed habitat has been identified as the minimum required for the regional woodland caribou population to remain self-sustaining (https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-riskpublic-registry/recovery-strategies/woodland-caribou-boreal-2020.html).

2 See Mining Association of Canada website (https://mining.ca/mining-stories/dominion-diamond-caribou-mitigation-strategy/).

3 6 See studies referenced in M. Festa-Bianchet, J.C. Ray, S. Boutin, S.D. Cote, and A. Gunn, “Conservation of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Canada: an uncertain future,” Canadian Journal of Zoology, v89 (2011), 425.

4 CA DeMars and S. Boutin, “Nowhere to hide: Effects of linear features on predator–prey dynamics in a large mammal system”, Journal of Animal Ecology 87 (2018), 281.

5 Hubert, “A case study on the use on on-site offsets to mitigate impacts to caribou from diamond mining in Canada’s North,” Annual Conference of the International Association for Impact Assessment (2017); Dominion Diamond Ekati Corporation, “Wildlife Effects Monitoring Plan for the Ekati Diamond Mine (2016).”

6 Sabina, “Back River Project Wildlife Mitigation and Monitoring Program Plan (Version 10)” (October 2019) 7 Sabina interview.

8 Matthew Pickard, “Caribou Protection Measures at the Back River Project,” Presentation to the Nunavut Mining Symposium (April 2018).

9 Cameco interview.

10 Jamie Quesnel and Stephane Robert, “Caribou Monitoring and Mitigation: Agnico Eagle’s Experience,” Presentation to the Nunavut Mining Symposium (April, 2017).

11 Association for Mineral Exploration BC Blog.

12 Agnico Eagle Blog.

13 Teck.com.

CARIBOU MITIGATION STRATEGIES | pdac.ca

29