Canada's most northerly caribou may end up on the endangered species list despite objections from the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board.

In a recent letter to the board, Environment Minister John Baird said his department is moving ahead with plans to list the Peary caribou of the High Arctic as a species at risk.

The Peary caribou mostly live in the eastern Arctic.
(CBC News)

The board had wanted the government to consider the caribou's populations separately, arguing that some herds are doing fine.

The federal decision is disappointing, says Joe Tigullaraq, chair of the wildlife board, which has been sparring with Ottawa over the issue since 2005.

"There's no more we can do in terms of the way the land claim agreement spells out the process," Tigullaraq said. "That's the end of it as far as we know."

But Baird's letter does not necessarily mean the species will be listed, says Michele Brenning of the Canadian Wildlife Service.

A final consultation period will now be held, and other factors, such as the socio-economic impact on Nunavut hunters, will be considered before the minister makes a final decision.

The Peary caribou are smaller than the barren ground caribou and lighter in colour. They live on the High Arctic islands of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. 

Wildlife officials have estimated the Peary's population has declined by as much as 70 per cent in recent years, and fear climate change will further the decline.