Syilx Okanagan Nation urges Ottawa to protect endangered Southern Mountain caribou

The Syilx Okanagan Nation is escalating its call for federal action to save endangered Southern Mountain caribou, warning that the window to prevent extinction is closing.

On June 1, the nation petitioned the federal government under Section 80 of the Species at Risk Act, requesting an Emergency Protection Order. That effort has intensified as habitat loss continues across the ranges where caribou live in Syilx territory. "Every year governments delay meaningful habitat protection, we lose more of what cannot be replaced," said Cailyn Glasser, the Okanagan Nation Alliance's natural resources manager. "The science has been clear for years. The solutions have been identified. What has been missing is the political will to act."

The scale of loss is stark. Eight Southern Group caribou herds have already been functionally lost, including the Columbia South herd, declared locally extinct in 2023. The Central Selkirk herd is now at risk—if it disappears, only one viable herd will remain in Syilx territory.

The Syilx Okanagan Nation says B.C. has not implemented habitat protection recommendations developed jointly by First Nations and federal officials in 2025, and has instead continued prioritizing economic activity. In September 2025, the nation issued its own caribou protection order under Syilx law, affirming the people's responsibility to protect the animals as sacred relatives.

"Our Protection Order affirmed what our people have always known – that we have a responsibility to care for styíłca̓ɂ (caribou) and the lands that sustain them," said councillor Jordan Coble. Chief Clarence Louie said the federal government must act immediately: "Without immediate protection of critical habitat, future generations will inherit the consequences of decisions that governments had every opportunity to prevent. Canada must act now."