Part 5/8:
Today, scientists and conservationists face stark realities regarding the interdependence of species within this unique ecosystem. Mountain caribou, which feed almost exclusively on lichen in old-growth forests, find their habitats compromised as logging disrupts their food sources. The delicate balance becomes even more precarious as rising populations of deer, moose, and their predators—wolves and mountain lions—encroach upon the caribou’s diminishing territories.
The tension illustrates the fragile ecosystem that develops an ecological house of cards; collapse in one species creates a ripple effect, jeopardizing the entire habitat.