Reintroducing Plains Bison to Banff National Park
Parks Canada's report on conservation from 2018 to 2023
- Report section
- Looking to the future
- Location
- Banff National Park, Alberta
The reintroduction of Plains Bison to Banff National Park is reversing the cascade of adverse ecological and cultural impacts caused by their near-extinction from North America over 140 years ago.
The project has created a new, growing herd and set a strong foundation of knowledge and best practices to inspire and support allyship for similar reintroductions by Indigenous Peoples and conservation practitioners elsewhere.
Project highlights
- 16 healthy Plains Bison reintroduced in 2017
- Over 100 Plains Bison on the landscape in 2023
Parks Canada Resource Conservation team members work on horseback in the backcountry of Banff National Park, radio collaring the bison herd for monitoring purposes. Photo: Karsten Heuer/Parks Canada
Context
Over a century ago, Plains Bison were hunted to near extinction throughout the Great Plains and the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, including the area that became Banff National Park. The consequences have been significant, including reduced biodiversity and impacts to natural processes in the ecosystem.
As a keystone species, bison influence many parts of the ecosystem. Their grazing and wallowing create habitat for plants and other animals, especially those found in grassy meadows. The movement of bison herds redistributes nutrients throughout the ecosystem. Their loss has also deeply affected Indigenous Peoples, who have vital cultural connections with bison.
Reintroduction of bison
In 2017, 16 healthy Plains Bison were translocated from Elk Island National Park to Banff National Park. For decades, Parks Canada has contributed to the reintroduction of bison across Canada, the USA and even Russia, by providing disease-free Plains and Wood Bison from Elk Island National Park. This translocation program has started many new herds and is significant to global bison conservation.
Outcomes
As of 2023, with the first five years of the bison reintroduction project complete, the herd at Banff National Park is healthy and has grown rapidly to over 100 animals. Significantly, this new herd is only the 5th free-roaming population of this imperilled species in the world, within historic Plains Bison range.
Working together
Much of the project’s success is due to the weaving of Indigenous ceremonies and cultural knowledge with western science. This has been achieved through important collaboration with many First Nations, including the Stoney Nakoda Nations (Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney), Siksika Nation, Piikani Nation, Kainai Nation, Tsuut’ina Nation, the Ktunaxa and Shuswap Bands, the Samson Cree Nation, and the Rocky View Métis District of the Otipemisiwak Métis Government. Many partners from academia, surrounding municipalities, the provincial government, and non-governmental organizations have also been pivotal.
Active management
Ongoing work is focused on keeping the animals contained in the park until there is support to accept bison as a wildlife species on adjacent lands. The otherwise free-roaming population is kept within a 1200 km2 home range by using short sections of wildlife-friendly fencing, placed where bison might try to leave the park, and by herding them back when they leave park boundaries.
Looking ahead
With the completion of five years of the project, Parks Canada, Indigenous groups, and stakeholders are exploring what a broader bison program might look like, including trans-jurisdictional possibilities and regulated Indigenous, and perhaps non-Indigenous, harvest of bison to manage the growing herd. Collaborating with partners across boundaries will be key in accommodating the growing herd over the long term.
“Bison need to be wildlife, like other species. They want to move across our human-made boundaries. How we meet their request, as a society, will determine the long-term success of this project.”—Karsten Heuer, Bison Reintroduction Project Manager, Parks Canada
Video
Watch the historic return of Plains Bison to Canada’s first national park.
Transcript
Title: In 2017, Parks Canada reintroduced wild bison to Banff National Park
Title: after they were absent from the wild for nearly 150 years.
Title: Bison Reintroduction Project, Banff National Parks, Episode 1: the Herd Returns
We know that bison were an integral part of this landscape.
They played an important role in the whole food web and affected all kinds of other species
from fish to amphibians to songbirds to predators like wolves and bears.
And so one of the key actions in our park management plan most recently,
was to work restore wild bison to Banff National Park.
Elk Island Bison
We brought bison from Elk Island in February 2017.
Bison Reintroduction
This last summer, end of July, it was a great honour to actually cut that fence,
and pull it back and give them their freedom in this 1200 sq km reintroduction zone.
Research
So now, that we have them on the landscape, we’re really trying to understand how
they are reintegrating back into this place where they have been gone for a hundred years.
The role of our team is now to do the research and to monitor these animals.
Monitoring
we have a team of technicians often referred to as the “bison stewards”
who go out and work in the backcountry on multiday shifts and monitor the bison for us.
So either by doing a heliflight periodically
but also getting out on the land whether its skitouring or riding on horseback or hiking.
Title: Watch the next episodes to see what it takes to bring bison back to Banff National Park.
Title: Follow the herd, Pc.gc.ca/banff-bison, #Banffbison
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