Significant amounts of caribou range can be protected for relatively little cost.
Our results show that costs (losses to resource industries) do not increase at the same rate as amount of land protected. As we increase protection from 10% to 70% of caribou range, the proportion of total industry revenue losses that reserves represent remains small. Put another way, $1 billion (the total revenue lost from 50% reserves) is a lot of money, but it represents less than 0.1% of total industry revenue. This suggests that large amounts of the MRB, including up to 70% of caribou ranges, can be protected for less than 1% loss to local resource industries.
Our results show that costs (losses to resource industries) do not increase at the same rate as amount of land protected. As we increase protection from 10% to 70% of caribou range, the proportion of total industry revenue losses that reserves represent remains small. Put another way, $1 billion (the total revenue lost from 50% reserves) is a lot of money, but it represents less than 0.1% of total industry revenue. This suggests that large amounts of the MRB, including up to 70% of caribou ranges, can be protected for less than 1% loss to local resource industries.
Our reserves represent the majority of the biodiversity present in the MRB.
To verify the effectiveness of our reserves, we calculated the amount of landcover types, river sub-basins, and ecozones (large areas with unique plant and animal assemblages) protected under our three conservation scenarios –17%, 50%, and 80% of caribou range. Both landcover and ecozones are generally well protected in every reserve, however, the six river sub-basins are not. This is because many of these sub-basins are in southern portions of the MRB, alongside the highest value natural resources.
Changing how we set conservation targets can lead to more expensive but more ecologically representative reserves.
If the conservation goal is to representatively protect the different natural features of the MRB, then conservation targets could be based on ecozones and major river sub-basins in addition to caribou ranges. This would ensure better protection of the diverse habitat types and ecosystem functions of the MRB.
Setting conservation targets based on caribou ranges resulted in the lowest cost reserves. When both ecozones and sub- basins are included as conservation features, reserve cost increases by multiple order of magnitude. The increased protection of the MRB—particularly within the southern portions—will come at an increased price to the natural resource extraction industry.
Setting conservation targets based on caribou ranges resulted in the lowest cost reserves. When both ecozones and sub- basins are included as conservation features, reserve cost increases by multiple order of magnitude. The increased protection of the MRB—particularly within the southern portions—will come at an increased price to the natural resource extraction industry.