Chapter 5 - Caribou and Oil Fields

Abstract

In Alaska, caribou are classified into geographically separate herds for management purposes. Before the discovery of oil at Prudhoe Bay in the late 1960s, only two arctic caribou herds were recognized in Alaska—the Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WACH) and the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH). Since the 1970s, caribou have increased throughout their range. As of 1997, among 31 currently recognized Alaskan caribou herds, 9 were increasing, 4 were either stable or increasing, 12 appeared stable, 2 were stable or declining, and 4 were declining. One of the caribou herds that have increased dramatically over the past 25 years is the Central Arctic Caribou Herd (CAH), which has a summer range that includes the oil fields on Alaska's Arctic Coastal Plain. Assessment of the effects of oil-field development on caribou and the resulting mitigation measures in the Prudhoe Bay region are important for predicting potential effects of development in other areas of the Arctic. From a management standpoint, impacts have been inconsequential because the herd has grown over the period of oil-field development and management objectives are being met.