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Caribou Crossed Elevated Pipelines More Readily but Were Less Likely to Cross Both Roads and Pipelines When Separated

Central Arctic Herd caribou grazing beside an elevated pipeline in Alaska
Conservation · Management

Adult female caribou (Rangifer tarandus) in Alaska, USA’s Central Arctic Herd were more likely to cross oil-field pipelines when the nearest pipeline was elevated at least 1.5 metres above the ground. They were also more likely to cross both a road and a pipeline when the two structures were directly adjacent than when they were separated. The study was published online on 10 July 2026 in Journal of Applied Ecology.

Researchers analysed summer movements from 75 adult females between 2015 and 2020, representing 214 caribou-years of telemetry—annual tracking records in which the same female could contribute in more than one year—together with spatial data from the Prudhoe Bay, Kuparuk and Milne Point oil fields on Alaska’s North Slope. They tested two long-standing mitigation measures intended to make developed landscapes easier for caribou to move through: elevating pipelines and, where feasible, separating roads and pipelines by at least 150 metres.

The pipeline-height result supported the first measure. In the height analysis, which included data from 65 females, crossing probability increased when pipelines were elevated and was relatively consistent once the nearest pipeline was at least 1.5 metres above ground. At about 1.9 metres, the modelled crossing probability was more than twice that for a pipeline near ground level. The authors conclude that raising pipelines helps maintain movement through oil-field infrastructure.

The road–pipeline result ran counter to the second recommendation. When caribou had to cross both structures, crossings were more likely where road and pipeline lay next to each other. The researchers suggest that aligned structures may allow the animals to pass both in a single crossing rather than negotiate two separate barriers. They caution that separating roads and pipelines may therefore make North Slope oil fields harder to navigate during summer, and argue that mitigation measures should be tested rather than assumed to work. The study concerned adult females in summer; responses during other seasons require further study.

Sources and image credit

  1. Johnson, H. E., & Severson, J. P. (2026). Testing the efficacy of industrial mitigation measures for caribou in the Arctic. Journal of Applied Ecology, 63(7), e70510. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.70510Primary peer-reviewed article; British Ecological Society records it as published online 10 July 2026. The study analysed summer telemetry from 75 adult female Central Arctic Herd caribou (214 caribou-years) in Alaska, 2015–2020. Pipeline-height analyses supported elevations of at least 1.5 m; crossings of both a road and pipeline were more likely when the structures were adjacent rather than separated.
  2. U.S. Geological Survey. (2026). Testing the efficacy of industrial mitigation measures for caribou in the Arctic.USGS publication record for the study, listing the Alaska study area and principal findings; its record date is 18 July 2026.

Image: John Severson / U.S. Geological Survey — Central Arctic Herd caribou beside elevated pipeline infrastructure in the Kuparuk oil field, North Slope, Alaska, 29 June 2019. Representative image from the same herd and oil-field landscape; the animals are not necessarily among the females in the 2015–2020 telemetry sample. · Public domain (U.S. Geological Survey) · Source

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