PAQUET, P.C.; CLUFF, D; TAYLOR, M; NIPTANATIAK, A; MUSIANI, M; MULDER, R; WWF CANADA & University of Calgary; Government of the NWT; Government of Nunavut; Government of Nunavut; University of Calgary; Government of the NWT: Carnivores of the central Arctic: cumulative effects and conservation

The worldwide decline of large and meso carnivores resulting from anthropogenic induced environmental change strongly suggests human activities in the Central Canadian Arctic could affect the distribution and population dynamics of gray wolves, grizzly bear, polar bears, red foxes, arctic foxes, and wolverines. In theory, industrial, recreational, and traditional subsistence activities combined with global influences such as climate change and the input of environmental contaminants could interact to affect the persistence of these carnivores. Based on studies conducted elsewhere, differential responses by individual carnivore species to cumulative human disturbances might also alter well-established community relationships in unpredictable and deleterious ways. Herein, we summarize the status of mammalian carnivores inhabiting the Central Arctic. Known, potential, and future anthropogenic threats to these species are discussed. Using available information and inferring from studies conducted in the Central Arctic and elsewhere, we speculate on how environmental conditions in the Central Arctic might change and what these changes could mean for carnivores. Lastly, we identify critical knowledge gaps, research needs, and conservation priorities.