BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Oreamnos americanus
Mountain Goat
| Scientific Name: | Oreamnos americanus |
|---|---|
| English Name: | Mountain Goat |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S3 |
| Date Status Assigned: | April 27, 2015 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 12, 2024 |
| Reasons: | Although the species is widespread in the province with a large population size, it faces threats throughout much of its range and has undergone some declines, with continuing declines in some areas of the province, especially in the southern part of its range in BC. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km |
| Range Extent Estimate (km2): | 783,761 |
| Range Extent Comments: | Using a minimum convex polygon the range extent is 783,761 sq km. This is calculated using an alpha-hull based on the centroids of polygons denoting mountain goat distribution (Mountain Goat Management Team 2010), the area is approximately 693,000 sq km. Found throughout the mountainous areas of British Columbia from the US border north to the border with Alaska and the Yukon and east to the border with Alberta. The species is not present on Haida Gwaii, Vancouver Island or the Gulf Islands. |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | E = >40 |
| Comments: | Approximately three-quarters of the area covered by parks in British Columbia is mountain goat habitat (Mountain Goat Management Team 2010). |
| Population Size: | F = 10,000 - 100,000 individuals |
| Comments: | B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship (2022) population estimate is 43,000-61,000 individuals, which is similar to the estimate of Shackleton's (2013) estimate of 41,000-66,000 animals. This represents approximately 32,250 to 49,500 mature individuals assuming 25% juveniles in the population (Halko and Hebert 2000). The provincial population represents over half the world's population of O. americanus. Population estimates of Mountain Goat need to be viewed with caution however, as parts of B.C. have out-dated, poor, or no inventory data on mountain goats, especially the northern and coastal areas (Hatter 2017). |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | B = High |
| Comments: | There are numerous threats to mountain goats, and although individually these threats may have only a low to medium impact provincially, the overall threat impact value is calculated as high due to cumulative effects. A threat assessment using the IUCN threats taxonomy and the NatureServe threats assessment tool was completed in 2015 that identified current threats. The highest ranking threat was human intrusions and disturbance (High-medium). Other threats include mining, activities associated with renewable energy production, disturbance from helicopters for both recreation and industrial activities, harvesting of timber in winter range, increased access for predators and hunters along roads and other linear corridors (Mountatin Goat Management Team 2010). The mountain goat population in the Okanagan region is especially vulnerable due to very small population sizes, isolation from other populations to the east and west, and serious threats to the population (Wilson and Morely 2007, G. Kuzyk pers. comm. 2010). Snover et al. (2019) discuss the species susceptibility to climate change in BC and Washington State. |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | FG = Decline of <30% to relatively stable |
| Comments: | The generation time for Mountain Goat is ~8 years (Pacifi et. al. 2013), therefore the short-term trend is evaluated over the last 24 years. The decline in numbers from the 2008 estimate (Mountain Goat Management Team 2010) to the 2022 estimate (Province of BC 2022) is a slight increase to a decline of 6.8%. Numbers within the province are considered stable in areas with the highest numbers (northern and central British Columbia and the Kootenays), but stable to decreasing or decreasing in southern and south coastal areas where numbers are lower. In particular, numbers have declined steeply in the southern interior and there is little to no evidence of recovery. There are several lines of evidence that suggest that caution is required in applying these estimates to calculate provincial trends. Parts of B.C. have out-dated, poor, or no inventory data on mountain goats, especially the northern and coastal areas. With the inadequate level of inventory in these areas, the probability of detecting localized loss of mountain goats is low (Hatter 2017). Adjacent states have documented declines in Mountain Goats including Montana (Smith and DeCesare 2017), Idaho (Idaho Department of Fish and Game 2019) and Washington (literature reviewed in Sevignay et al. 2021). Declines have been documented in parts of the central coast of the province using aerial surveys and comparing results with traditional knowledge holders (Jessen et al. in prep). Lastly the threats assessment completed for the Mountain Goat management plan published in 2010 suggested that cumulative declines would be significantly higher than the calculated trends using the provincial estimates. |
| Long-Term Trend: | EF = Decline of 10-50% |
| Comments: | Many interior and some coastal populations (e.g., portions of Lower Mainland region) declined through the 1960s and early 1970s, primarily from over harvest of animals due to liberal harvesting regimes and increased access (Phelps et al. 1983; Mountain Goat Recovery Team 2010). Since most regions lack extensive inventories, trend data are based in large part on surveys of small portions of each region, or on indices to population trend (hunter harvest, hunter success, observations, kid:adult ratios; Mountain Goat Management Team 2010) and there is no overall quantitative value for the long term percent decline for the total provincial population. |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Environmental Specificity: | BC=Narrow to moderate. |
| Comments: | Suitable escape terrain is a limiting factor for habitat suitability for mountain goats across their range. Alpine vegetation contains low sodium content and high potassium levels, thus many populations of mountain goats obtain supplemental minerals to their diet from mineral licks (Mountain Goat Management Team 2010). |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | Kuzyk, G., Nagorsen, D. and L. Ramsay (2015) updated by Fraser, D.F. 2023 |
| Date: | November 30, 2023 |
| References | |
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Mountain Goat Management Team. 2010. Management Plan for the Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) in British Columbia. Prepared for the B.C. Ministry of Environment, Victoria, BC. 87 pp.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2023. Conservation Status Report: Oreamnos americanus. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jul 12, 2025).