Reindeer are expanding their range northwards. This could harm some species, such as the northern caribou. In recent decades, Taimyr reindeer and geese have significantly changed the timing and nature of their movements. Researchers have also recorded the largest wildlife migration in the world in eastern South Sudan.
Deer are expanding their range north. This could harm some species, such as the boreal caribou. White-tailed deer have been expanding their range in North America for decades. Since the early 2000s, these deer have moved north into the boreal forests of western Canada. These forests are full of spruce and pine trees, sandy soil, and cold winters with lots of snow. Environmentalists don’t know whether the warmer climate in these forests is attracting the deer north or whether human development is playing a bigger role.
“Human land use and climate change are the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. But often, the two are intertwined, and it’s very difficult to say which is the primary driver — or both,” says Melanie Dickey, a wildlife biologist at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. “We really need to know which one it is so we can have a better idea of what to do about it.”
Jim Cumming/Getty Images
Dickey described these deer as an “invasive species.” That’s because more deer in these forests could impact other species, like the boreal caribou. With deer comes more predators, like wolves. While deer are able to cope with living alongside predators like wolves, caribou are not. Dickey says they’ve evolved to basically just avoid areas with a lot of predators. And that gets tricky when there are more wolves around.
She also says that reindeer are really just one piece of the puzzle for the boreal caribou population, but having more information about what exactly is driving reindeer expansion helps her and other researchers understand where to start when it comes to restoring land and protecting wildlife.
In recent decades, Taimyr’s wild reindeer and geese have significantly changed the timing and nature of their movements. Migrations have begun to begin earlier, and there have been changes in routes – this indicates that environmental conditions, primarily food, are rapidly changing under the influence of a warming climate.
According to annual observations, the arrival of geese, ducks and some passerine birds in Siberia occurs two weeks earlier, and they stay for several weeks longer than the average long-term “norm”, said Alexander Savchenko, head of the Department of Hunting Resources and Nature Conservation at SFU.
“A study of wild reindeer on the Taimyr Peninsula in the north of Krasnoyarsk Krai confirms the trend. If 60 years ago, in the middle of the 20th century, reindeer spent seven to eight months in the “maternity” hospital, and yearling calves could grow strong, now they are forced to leave their native lands 45-55 days after birth. Many young animals die while trying to swim across the large Taimyr rivers Pyasina and Khatanga. The reason for this is the rapid “warming” of Taimyr due to global warming,” the scientist added.
Wild reindeer. SFU/Alexander and Petr Savchenko
He explained that collars with a satellite monitoring system and built-in GPS receivers were used to monitor the deer. This tool allows for recording all stops and migration routes of the animals with great precision.
“It is obvious that the food supply for reindeer is changing. The warming of the tundra is making itself known by the disappearance of the reindeer’s favorite food – lichen moss. Reindeer herds of the Taimyr-Evenki population are shifting from the western part of Taimyr to the central and eastern parts, and also feel comfortable in Evenkia, where it is cooler and there is more food,” Savchenko said.
The activities of the REC, created on the basis of the Siberian Federal University on the initiative of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Khakassia and Tuva, are aimed at improving the environmental situation in the region and decarbonizing the industry of Russia. The REC includes nine universities, five research institutes and 14 industrial enterprises. The scientific and educational centers are created within the framework of the national project “Science and Universities” of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia.
Researchers have recorded the largest migration of wild animals in the world in the eastern regions of South Sudan. According to TASS, the study conducted by the government of South Sudan and the non-profit organization African Parks found that about 6 million antelopes in this region travel huge distances in search of new pastures. The animals were observed from airplanes, during which 60 thousand photographs were taken and then analyzed. In total, the study covered an area of 120 thousand square kilometers.
The area of the giant migration is the floodplain savannah of the White Nile. The animals cross the eastern regions of South Sudan and partly enter the territory of the western part of Ethiopia, where the Gambella Reserve is located.
