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Northern development and Rangifer risks: a review of the impacts of resource extraction for caribou and reindeer.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Northern development and Rangifer risks: a review of the impacts of resource extraction for caribou and reindeer.
Authors: Lessard, Éloïse1 (AUTHOR) elessard@mun.ca, Walker, Philip D.2 (AUTHOR), Vander Wal, Eric1 (AUTHOR)
Source: Environmental Reviews. 2/5/2026, Vol. 34, p1-13. 13p.
Subject Terms: *Resource exploitation, *Demography, *Wildlife management, *Ecological impact, Reindeer, Caribou, Arctic climate
Geographic Terms: Arctic regions
Abstract: As the global demand for energy continues to rise rapidly, northern ecosystems—i.e., Arctic, subarctic, and boreal regions—are especially at risk from extractive industries due to their rich mineral and hydrocarbon potential. The expansion of infrastructure associated with extractive industries often impacts species and may ultimately contribute to population declines, particularly for those less resilient to human-induced rapid environmental changes. If we aim to support effective conservation and mitigation measures for Rangifer tarandus as resource extraction intensifies, there is an urgent need to compile their response toward resource extraction. We present a scoping review of 71 studies addressing the impact of mineral and hydrocarbon extraction on Rangifer to synthesize the evidence currently available in the literature, uncover trends in results, and identify remaining knowledge gaps. We recorded effects for various Rangifer populations impacted by resource extraction, with most (76%) of the studies concluding that such activities had a significant negative impact on Rangifer, ranging from impacts on (1) distribution and habitat selection, (2) movement and behaviour, (3) forage, contaminants, and body condition, and (4) vital rates and demographics. Our work highlights an important gap as few studies assessed impacts on vitals rates and population trends. We think there is a need to implement long-term, non-invasive contaminant surveys and to uncover mechanisms linking contaminant levels and behavioural responses to vital rates to better understand the long-term impact of these activities on demographic trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: GreenFILE
Description
Abstract:As the global demand for energy continues to rise rapidly, northern ecosystems—i.e., Arctic, subarctic, and boreal regions—are especially at risk from extractive industries due to their rich mineral and hydrocarbon potential. The expansion of infrastructure associated with extractive industries often impacts species and may ultimately contribute to population declines, particularly for those less resilient to human-induced rapid environmental changes. If we aim to support effective conservation and mitigation measures for Rangifer tarandus as resource extraction intensifies, there is an urgent need to compile their response toward resource extraction. We present a scoping review of 71 studies addressing the impact of mineral and hydrocarbon extraction on Rangifer to synthesize the evidence currently available in the literature, uncover trends in results, and identify remaining knowledge gaps. We recorded effects for various Rangifer populations impacted by resource extraction, with most (76%) of the studies concluding that such activities had a significant negative impact on Rangifer, ranging from impacts on (1) distribution and habitat selection, (2) movement and behaviour, (3) forage, contaminants, and body condition, and (4) vital rates and demographics. Our work highlights an important gap as few studies assessed impacts on vitals rates and population trends. We think there is a need to implement long-term, non-invasive contaminant surveys and to uncover mechanisms linking contaminant levels and behavioural responses to vital rates to better understand the long-term impact of these activities on demographic trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:11818700
DOI:10.1139/er-2025-0182