Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
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Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
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| location | Ontario (Canada) | |
| surface | 4,862.35 km² | |
| WDPA ID | 18246 | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 6 ' N , 94 ° 45' W | |
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| Setup date | 1983 | |
| administration | Ontario parks | |
The Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is a 4,862 km² large provincial park in the northwest of the Canadian province of Ontario . The name is derived from the woodland caribous that live there , a forest-dwelling subspecies of the caribou .
The nature park serves to preserve the post-glacial landscape typical of the region and its flora and fauna . This area known as Lac Seul Upland is the remnant of a 2.5 billion year old mountain range. The main river systems are those of the Bloodvein River in the north and the Gammon River in the south. Due to the proximity to the prairie landscapes, the southern boreal forests are exposed to summer heat and drought.
There are three other parks to the west, but they are already in the province of Manitoba. These are Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Park and Atikaki Provincial Wilderness Park .
The entire region, which consists of provincial parks and traditional territories of the First Nations located in the border area between Ontario and Manitoba , was put on the UNESCO tentative list for recognition as World Heritage in 2004 by the Canadian government . To this end, the Ontario-based Pikangikum First Nation and the Manitoba First Nations from the Poplar River (on Lake Winnipeg ), Pauingassi and Little Grand Rapids have joined forces. Woodland Caribou Park , the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Manitoba Conservation are also part of the initiative . The First Nations of Ontario the Wabaseemoong, the Grassy Narrows and Lac Seul are in turn partners of the Woodland Caribou Park. In 2013 the project was postponed, but in July 2015 questions about the project as a catalyst for changes in the decision-making process were discussed at the 39th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn . There Sophia Rabliauskas represented the Poplar River First Nation . Now the free, informed and priority decision of indigenous peoples should flow into such processes. A final decision is to be made in Istanbul in July 2016 .
Flora and fauna
The area was covered in ice until about 10,000 years ago. Poplars, birches and various conifers, such as jack pine (jack pine), black spruce and white spruce followed the initially contracted lichens. There were also alder , hazel and Vermont maple ( Acer spicatum ). There are 400 species of plants, 16 of which are considered rare in the province. Of these, twelve belong to the boreal species and four to the prairie species .
Frequently among the larger mammals are the timber wolf , black bear, elk, white-tailed deer and the eponymous Canadian woodland caribou ( Rangifer tarandus caribou ). Recently, pumas (called 'cougars') have been sighted again. There are also around 100 species of birds.
Studies on the forest caribou found that the dams and their calves in the Wabakimi Provincial Park preferred areas that were on average 9.1 km away from human interference (± 1.0 km, range between 2.3 and 20.6 km ); in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park these values were 10.2 km (± 0.7 km, or 0.7–32.6 km).
Web links
- Pimachiowin Aki , World Heritage Plan website
- Woodland Caribou
- Manitoba's Obukowin Lake. Western Gateway to Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
Remarks
- ^ Atikaki / Woodland Caribou / Accord First Nations (Pimachiowin Aki). UNESCO - World Heritage Committee , October 1, 2004, accessed December 31, 2014 .
- ↑ Map of the intended area and the traditional territories of the surrounding First Nations
- ↑ Natasha L. Carr, Arthur R. Rodgers, Steven R. Kingston, Douglas J. Lowman: Use of island and mainland shorelines by woodland caribou during the nursery period in two northern Ontario parks , in: Rangifer 31 (2011) 49-61 .