Geneviève Degré-Timmons

2021 Weston Family Awards in Northern Research recipient

Master’s student
Université Laval

A master’s student at Université Laval, Geneviève is studying boreal caribou responses to post-fire habitat changes in the Northwest Territories.

Prevailing theory predicts that caribou will avoid recently burned areas due to limited foraging opportunities and high predation risk. Growing evidence suggests fire has less impact on caribou demography than anthropogenic disturbances, and that caribou response varies regionally.

This research examines the effect of barriers on habitat selection and movement over the first few decades’ post-fire. This is particularly important in a context of climate warming, which is expected to
increase the frequency and severity of wildfire. Understanding changes in caribou demography and behavior resulting from the effects of global warming is fundamental to conservation, management, and policy.

Learn more about the Weston Family Awards in Northern Research.