Alarming declines the moose population in the Central Interior and across the north have resulted in a new population strategy.

The provincial government and Tl'etinqox-t'in First Nation announced Thursday they had come to an agreement over moose management in the Chilcotin area, jointly calling it "a strong shared interest in protecting the moose population."

A resource stewardship plan is close to being finalized.

THE SPECIFICS

* The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and the Tl'etinqox will jointly engage in hunter harvest monitoring, and management of predators and feral horses.

* In co-operation with forest companies operating in the area, road deactivation plans to manage access to sensitive moose habitat will start without delay.

* Forest companies have also agreed to schedule their forest harvesting activities to avoid conflict with guide outfitters operating in the area.

* The Tl'etinqox-t'in government office confirms there will be no disruptions to the 2012 Limited Entry Hunt.

* The ministry has already commissioned an independent analysis of moose management in the Cariboo, and results of that work will help inform future management decisions.

* Numbers of Limited Entry Hunt authorizations for moose will be reevaluated for the 2013 season, in line with a reduced annual allowable harvest.

Studies are still underway as to why the moose populations have taken such a drastic dip in recent years.

According to provincial data, in 1998 and 2005 the moose numbers in the Omineca area were about 20,000 but the numbers have plummeted to about 10,000 now. The population was from 17 to 50 per cent less in certain areas of the Cariboo and a 70 per cent decline was seen in the Skeena-Nass region.