BC plans to extend wolf cull amid criticism that habitat loss drives caribou decline

In April 2026, British Columbia began a stakeholder outreach process regarding a proposed five-year continuation of its wolf-culling program across 15 woodland caribou habitats, involving about 70 First Nations and numerous landowners and NGOs. The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and the Ministry of Forests indicated a decision is expected by October, with annual culls slated for eleven sites and biennial removals at four others.

Since 2015, the province has removed 200-300 wolves each year, spending roughly C$13 million, yet scientists say habitat loss from logging, mining, roads and pipelines is the dominant driver of caribou declines. Experts highlight that old-growth forest loss forces caribou into cleared areas where they face higher predation risk, and that linear features accelerate wolf movements, further endangering the species. Conservation groups warn that the cull’s ecological side effects are poorly understood and that habitat restoration is needed urgently to protect the remaining roughly 1,900 caribou.