page_title: History of bison conservation in Canada
section_title: Current efforts
hierarchical_section_title: History of bison conservation in Canada / Contemporary bison conservation / Current efforts
caption_attribution_description: English: Cans of bison meat on the shelves at the Three Rivers Café and co-op in Indiana.
context_page_description: Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the plains bison and wood bison populations were hunted by nomadic indigenous hunters and white hunters alike. By the 1850s, the bison was nearly extinct, spurring a movement to save the few herds that remained. Federal government wildlife policy evolved from preservation of wilderness to utilitarian, scientific conservation and management of bison populations. The goals of these policies often contradicted themselves, aiming to simultaneously preserve wildlife, promote recreation, commercialize the bison, and assert state control over Aboriginal Canadians. Bison conservation efforts were shaped by the federal government's colonialist and modernist approach to Canada's north, the management of national parks and reserves, and the influence of scientific knowledge.
  Government preservation efforts began with the passing of the Unorganized Territories Game Preservation Act of 1894, which restricted legal hunting to certain times of the year. Bison herds were tracked down and moved to reserves where hunters were banned from operating.
  In 1909, Buffalo National Park in Alberta was established with a herd of 300 plains bison.
context_section_description: Contemporary bison conservation is informed by the legacy of historical efforts by the Canadian federal government. Parks Canada plans to reintroduce a breeding population of the extirpated plains bison to Banff National Park. Goals include conservation of the plains bison, a native keystone species, as well as ecological restoration, inspiring discovery, and providing an "authentic national park experience." According to Parks Canada, the bison remains "emblematic of the wild Canadian west." The American Prairie Foundation is planning to create the American Prairie Reserve in Montana to restore the native prairie ecosystem and bison populations. Plains bison will be transferred to the reserve from the Elk Island National Park in Alberta.
  Despite the development of co-management regimes and increased Aboriginal participation in the wildlife policy process, the colonial legacy of the state management era still lingers. These current bison conservation initiatives do not discuss Aboriginal use of subsistence resources in national parks and reserves. It is unclear whether Aboriginal participation and Traditional Ecological Knowledge will be incorporated into reintroduction plans. Although the Cree and Dene are now recognized as official participants in the management of wildlife and protected areas, Sandlos argues that this "tentative shift in political power represents an incomplete attempt to decolonize wildlife management practices in the North." The weak powers given to Aboriginal people on wildlife advisory boards allow the state to maintain political authority over wildlife resources, while giving the appearance of a participatory consensus-building approach with Aboriginal hunters. Sandlos suggests that the advisory nature of co-management boards is based on the implicit colonial assumption that local Aboriginal resource management systems are deficient, and that the role of the state is essential to the formation of wildlife policy in Canada's north.
  Current bison conservation efforts face numerous social and ecological challenges, due to the history of early preservation methods that conducted species conservation at the expense of ecological function. Today, conservation groups are increasingly focusing on preservation of bison a native species and conducting research to prove their status as endangered animals. The IUCN Bison Specialist Group is currently completing a new status assessment and conducting a review to determine if the species should be red-listed as threatened or endangered.  Non-profit groups such as Nature Conservancy Canada's Old-Man-on-His-Back Preserve in Alberta are creating conservation herds in the Elk Islands, while private sector groups such as Turner Enterprises are separating cattle-gene-free herds.  Additionally, Aboriginal efforts are underway to create tribal wildlife reserves with wild bison populations.
caption: Bison meat is now sold commercially throughout North America.
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