Government surveys indicate the Bathurst herd shrank from 128,000 animals in 2006 to 31,900 in 2009. (Canadian Press)

The Wekeezhi Renewable Resources Board begins long-awaited hearings Monday to determine the future of the Bathurst caribou herd.

Government surveys indicate the Bathurst herd shrank from 128,000 animals in 2006 to 31,900 in 2009.

Aboriginal leaders and the territorial government have been in a stand-off since the territorial wildlife department imposed a hunting ban in the North Slave in January. In November the board received the Joint Bathurst Caribou Management Proposal from the Tlicho and territorial governments which showed a rapid decline in the size of the herd.

Northwest Territories Environment Minister Michael Miltenberger has said the sharp decline in the Bathurst caribou herd's numbers meant the hunting ban could not be delayed beyond Jan. 1, adding that the government adequately consulted with affected aboriginal groups. Initial hearings to discuss the issue were set to begin in January but got pushed back to February, then March. The territorial government responded to the delay by imposing the emergency hunting ban, fearing the herd's future was at stake.

Dene leaders said last month they would not support the emergency ban, which covers the herd's winter range, north of Great Slave Lake to the Nunavut boundary, and affects Tlicho Dene communities.

The Wekeezhi hearings are expected to give hunters, outfitters, aboriginal groups, and the public a voice in the matter. The hearings have been described as an essential step in the development of a long-term management plan for the declining Bathurst Caribou.

Miltenberger said he wants to have a collective Bathurst caribou management plan in place in time for the next hunting season.