Large carnivores in Nordic Countries Ilpo Kojola, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) at Rovaniemi

Ilpo Kojola

Ilpo Kojola

Seppo Ronkainen

Ilpo Kojola

Change in large carnivore estimates for Finland’s reindeer husbandry area

Species Lowest (year)

Present Change (multiplier)

Brown bear 100 (1968)

350-400 3.5-4.0

Wolf Some, 1970’s

10 -30, seasonal ?

Wolverine 20 (1978)

100-120 5.0-6.0

Lynx Some (1970’s)

120-150 10?

(Russia: 180 000; increasing; Bragina et al. 2015, Conservation Biology)

> 200 000 (Ripple et al. 2014, Science)

Ilpo Kojola

Ursus arctos horribilis

Ursus arctos arctos

Population estimates Sweden 2 800 (Jonas Kindberg/SLU) Norway 150 (Rovdata) Finland 1 500 (Luke)

Sweden

1 970 1 980 1 990 2 000 2 010 2 0200

500

1 000

1 500

2 000

2 500

Finland

Ilpo Kojola

Population estimates

Bear harvest in Sweden and Finland

Management Hunting Hunting quota

Sweden

1 980 1 990 2 000 2 010 2 0200

50

100

150

200

Finland

Sex ratio of shot bears

Finland

Sweden

0 1 2 3 4 540

50

60

70

80

1 2 3 > 3

Age (years)

Swe: 683 Fin: 928

% males

High genetic diversity in Northern Finland, rapid change and increased diversity in Southern Finland

9

Genetic clusters

Tammeleht et al. 2010 (Mol. Ecol.) Hagen, Kopatz, Aspi, Kojola, Eiken 2015 (Royal Soc. Proc. Ser B)

Globally 180 000 (Ripple et al., Science) In Russia 49 000 (stable; Bragina 2015; R, Soc. Proc. Ser. B)

Number of wolf family packs

Finland

Scandinavia

1 995 2 000 2 005 2 010 2 0150

10

20

30

40

50

Fa

mily

pa

cks

High proportion of sub-adult dispersers in Finnish reindeer husbandry area

Age of the shot wolf (years)

-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 140

20

40

60

80

100

Perc

enta

ge

0

-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 140

20

40

60

80

100

Perc

enta

ge

1

Outside reindeer husbandry Reindeer husbandry

% %

Reproduction and found wolf-killed reindeer per year within three reindeer herding cooperatives

no yes

Reproduction

0

100

200

300

Long-distance dispersal

by collared wolves

Kojola, Wabakken, Sand & Liberg, in prep

A way longer maximum

distances travelled

by Scandinavian

than Finnish wolves

Genetic background?

- Scandinavian wolf pop.

was established by

long-distance dispersers

Most wolves moving to Finland’s reindeer husbandry area have reindeer as a prey image

Seppo Ronkainen

Ilpo Kojola

Ilpo Kojola

Natural immigration by

wolves from east to

Scandinavia 2004-2013

non-reproduced

reproduced reproduced

Wolverine

Globally about 50 000 (in Eurasia 20-22 000, in Europe 2 200; IUCN Red data book)

Norway 350-400, Sweden 450-500 (based on confirmed reproductions) Finland 250 (a quesstimate)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Sweden

Norway

Jens Persson/SLU

Confirmed reproductions by Scandinavian wolverines

SLU and ROVDATA

Reproductions of wolverine in Scandinavia

Finland: reindeer winter feeding practice and wolverine

0.00

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.00

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

Wolverine-killed reindeer/

herd size 2013 Wolverine observation

Index 2013

Free-ranging Fenced Free-ranging Fenced

Kojola & Kaartinen (in prep.)

50 000 globally (Ripple et al. 2014; Science) (20 000 in Russia; decreasing; Bragina et al. 2015, Cons. Biol.)

Higher genetic diversity in Finland than in Scandinavia

Ratkiewicz ym. 2014: (Plos ONE)

Family groups in winter 2014/2015

By Katja Holmala/LUKE

Staffan Widstrand

Population trends (as number of family groups)

Sweden

Norway Finland

Finland’s lynx population is doubling that of Scandinavia for a mysterious reason

(Rovdata)

(Luke))

(Viltskadecenter)

T

Photo: Ilpo Kojola

Thank you!