The herd’s population drop fits a pattern across the Arctic, and there are signs that warmer temperatures are driving some changes.
"Western Arctic Caribou Herd"
Western Arctic Caribou Herd decline continues, bringing population to a third of peak size
Caribou and reindeer populations have been declining around the circumpolar north.
Western Arctic caribou populations stable, though officials worry about warming climate
A warmer climate in the area is having an effect on permafrost and vegetation that caribou eat.
Kotzebue caribou meeting reveals tensions from both sides
The Federal Subsistence Board will make their decision on whether the exclusion of non-subsistence hunters is permanent sometime this fall.