Many different authorities, organisations and ordinary citizens interested in large carnivores participate in the conservation and management of predator populations. Well defined and planned hunting of large carnivores forms a part of successful population management and conservation efforts.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry approved the new Management Plan for the Wolf Population in Finland on 5 November 2019. The updated management plan is based on the Management Plan for the Wolf Population in Finland adopted in 2015. It is the third management plan concerning the wolf population implemented in Finland.
Fri Oct 21 10:36:00 2016
In population assessment, three complementary sets of data are used: observations made by large carnivore contact persons and by Luke’s own field staff (recorded in the Tassu system), territory boundaries by GPS collared wolves, and the analyses of DNA samples. Luke’s experts deduce the size of the wolf population by forming an expert opinion on the basis of these three data sets and separate checks performed in certain situations.
According to the evaluation report, the strength of the assessment method lies in its cost-efficiency and citizens’ participation in data collection. Its greatest weaknesses are related to the accuracy of observations made in field, the documentation of the analysis methods, and subjective choices regarding experts.
The report finds that sufficiently comprehensive documentation of the assessment method would help citizens to develop more trust in population assessments. The report praises the high professional standard of the experts conducting analyses, and their top-quality publications and active international collaboration, all of which create the framework for high-quality expert work.
The accuracy of observations could be ensured, for example, by checking a higher proportion of them. More observations are also required; as a result, a vital role continues to be played by voluntary citizen participation in the gathering of observations.
The development of population assessment can be modelled on best practices obtained from monitoring programmes used in Sweden and Norway, for example. However, this will require additional resources. The funding resources available for population assessment in our neighbouring countries may even be five times as high as Finland’s.
The international scientific evaluation was conducted by Professor Henrik Andrén from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Professor Mikkö Mönkkönen from the University of Jyväskylä, and Professor Otso Ovaskainen from the University of Helsinki. The evaluation was based on written documents, interviews and experiences gained from similar assessment methods used elsewhere in Europe.
Natural Resources Institute Finland's (Luke) estimates on the numbers of animals are primarily based on sighting data collected by a volunteer organisation consisting of the contact persons of regional game management associations. Other utilised methods include on-the-ground censuses made by hunter...
As a member of the European Union, Finland commits to taking EU legislation into account in its decision making. The Directives of the European Community are incorporated into national legislation, which extends their reach to also cover all private operators. The status of large carnivores is regul...
Wolf (Canis lupus) The wolf is the largest canine living in the wild. Out of all the northern predators, the wolf is the most social species that prefers to live in packs formed by family units. Wolves communicate with each other via postures, gestures, facial expressions, scent marks and howling. R...
The views held by Finns are sometimes conflicting when it comes to the population management and conservation of large carnivores. Research has been conducted on how Finns think our large carnivore populations should be managed. This data has been collected via surveys, interviews and public meeting...
