National and transboundary perspectives of large carnivore conservation and management in Finland

Abstract

Finland’s large carnivore (LC) populations have been increasing and expanding during the last 20 years; brown bear and wolverine populations have doubled, and populations of Eurasian lynx and grey wolf many-folded. However, based on IUCN criteria for national assessment, brown bear and lynx are currently red-listed as near threatened, and wolf and wolverine still classified as endangered. Population growth has mainly taken place south of the reindeer husbandry region. Wolverine is the only species that was protected from hunting until winter 2016/2017 when the first licenses for the husbandry region were approved. Annual harvest quotas, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, are regional, based on monitoring programs (all species) and Bayesian scenarios for sustainable harvest (bear, lynx), executed by Natural Resources Institute (Luke) as well as on the extent of damages caused by LC, concerning especially depredation in semi-domesticated reindeer herds. Finnish Wildlife Agency processes applications for hunting licenses which are specific for each applicant with an exception of autumn season bear hunting in the reindeer husbandry area. Local displeasure and frustration on wolves and wolf management, owing e.g. to wolves’ attacks on domestic dogs and fear is fueling poaching that has a great influence on wolf population size and management interventions in Finland. Several measures for conflict mitigation have been launched in recent years, including e.g. territory-based cooperation groups comprised of local stakeholders. From a transboundary perspective, connectivity between eastern and western populations is not strong in Fennoscandia, largely due to fragmentary LC populations in most districts of the reindeer husbandry area. In view of e.g. spatial wolf pack data and dispersal distances by Finnish wolves, a major role of Russian wolf packs, as potential source packs, appears to be obvious. The major chapters in transboundary cooperation are genetic research on population histories and current connectivity, and the change of information concerning wolves and other large carnivores moving near border between Finland and Scandinavia.