current situation of wolves in europe - european...

Current situation of wolves in Europe - from a scientific perspective

Ilka Reinhardt

LUPUS German Institute for Wolf monitoring and research

FT1 („Sunny“) Foto: S. Koerner

Wolves in Europe – status and distribution

Distribution of wolves in Europe at their lowest extend during the 1950–1970s.

Guillaume Chapron et al. (2014): Recovery of large carnivores in Europes´s modern human-dominated landscapes. Science 346, 1517

Wolf distribution in Europe around 2010. Dark blue cells indicate areas of permanent occurrence, and light blue cells indicate areas of sporadic occurrence. Orange lines indicate boundaries between todays populations.




1 – Scandinavian 2 – Karelian 3 – Baltic 4 – Central European Lowland 5 – Carpathian 6 – Balkan 7 – Italian Peninsula 8 – Alpine 9 – Sierra Morena 10 – Iberian


Wolf populations (Kaczensky et al. 2013):


Status of wolf populations (Kaczensky et al. 2013):


1 – Scandinavian endangered (EN) 2 – Karelian endangered (EN) 3 – Baltic least concern (LC) 4 – Central European Lowland endangered (EN) 5 – Carpathian least concern (LC) 6 – Dinaric-Balkan least concern (LC) 7 – Italian Peninsula vulnerable (VU) 8 – Alpine endangered (EN) 9 – Sierra Morena critically endangered (CR) 10 – Iberian least concern (LC)


V

V

V

V

V V

V

V

V

IV

IV

IV IV IV

IV IV

IV

IV

IV

IV



Habitats directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC)


V

V

IV

IV

IV IV IV

IV

IV




V IV


V

V

V

V

V V

V

V

V

IV

IV

IV IV IV

IV IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

1 – Scandinavian endangered (EN), IV 2 – Karelian endangered (EN), IV, V 3 – Baltic least concern (LC), V 4 – Central European Lowland endangered (EN), IV 5 – Carpathian least concern (LC), V 6 – Dinaric-Balkan least concern (LC), IV, V 7 – Italian Peninsula vulnerable (VU), IV 8 – Alpine endangered (EN), IV 9 – Sierra Morena critically endangered (CR), IV 10 – Iberian least concern (LC), IV, V




V

V

V

V

V V

V

V

V

IV

IV

IV IV IV

IV IV

IV

IV

IV

IV

Habitats directive sets the legal frame, the member states decide how to fill this frame. Discussion with the whole society needed!


Annex IV (strictly protected species)

- Derogation for letal removal possible (Art. 16 Directive) e.g. Sweden, France, Slovenia

Annex V (Species of community interest whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures)

- hunting possible e.g. baltic countries, but not mandantory : e.g. Poland



Central European population (source: Baltic population)


Scandinavian population (source: Karelian population)

Alpine population: (source: Italian & Dinaric population)

Since the habitats directive came into force 3 new wolf populations were founded in Europe.



~ 60 packs (2014)

49 packs (2014)

~ 40 packs (2014)

22 packs (2013)

1 pack

600-800 individuals

2500 individuals (no recent census)

3900 individuals

3000 individuals

870 - 1400 individuals


0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

© LUPUS

Alps Scandinavia

Germany

WAG (2014): Wolf population status in the Alps.

http://www.viltskadecenter.se/images/stories/Publikationer/ inventering-av-varg-i-skand-201415-svensknorsk-15juni-webb.pdf

How are such population increases possible?

Wolves are very adaptable and able to live in nearly all kind of habitat (habitat generalists), even in cultivated and heavily populated landscapes.

Wolves in Europe – from a scientific perspective


Jedrzejewski et al. (2004): 50%

Reinhardt & Kluth (2015, 2016): 36-46%

Habitat use of wolves in Europe - forest cover in wolf areas of occurrence

Jedrzejewski et al. (2005): 62%

Kaartinen et al. (2005): 80%

Landkreis Cuxhaven: 7.7%

Blanco et al. (2005): 7 – 27 %

© LUPUS

Rendezvous site of the Spremberg pack (Saxony/Germany) 2012

Wolves can disperse long distances and (re)occupy areas far away from the source population.




Paolo Ciucci et al. (2009): Long distance dispersal of a rescued wolf from the Northern Appenines to the Alps. J. Wildlf. Managem.

Petter Wabakken et al. (2007): Multistage long-range natal dispersal by a global positioning system-collared Skandinavian wolf. J. Wildlf. Managem.

Wesley Andersen et al. (2015): Long-distance dispersal of a wolf in North-Western Europe. Mamm. Reserach. Nina Razen et al. (2015):

Long-distance dispersal connects Dinaric- Balkan and Alpine grey wolf populations. Eur. J. Wildl. Res.

Reinhardt & Kluth (2016): Abwanderungs- und Raumnutzungs- verhalten von Wölfen in Deutschland. Natur und Landschaft.

1 100 (10 000) km

240 (1 000) km

800 (1 550) km

233 (1 173) km

730 km

Excamples for long distance dispersal of wolves in Europe streight line (travel) dispersal distances


1 I LUPUS Wildbiologisches Büro © LUPUS / BfN

MT3 „Alan“

Dispersal distanz 800km, travel distance >1500 km

28. / 29. September 2013, Dörverden


http://www.bmu.de/

The availability of wild ungulates is much higher than it was in the 19th century.





LUPUS


Development of the harvest statistics of wild ungulates in Germany.

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

wild boar roe deer red deer

1936*

1990 / 1991

2012 / 2013


© LUPUS

Variability of wolf diet across Europe Müller (2006)

Jedrzejewski et al. (2012)

Nowak et al. (2011)

Wagner et al. (2012)

Kindervater et al. (2014)


northern / central Europe: > 90% wild ungulates

Torres et al. (2015)

Barja (2009)

Meriggi et al. (2011) review of 20 studies


Variability of wolf diet across Europe

1976 2004

Merriggi et al. 2011: Review of 20 wolf diet studies in Italy

Wolf diet and ungulate abundance in Italy


Merriggi et al. 2011: Review of 20 wolf diet studies in Italy

Wolf diet and ungulate abundance in Italy



Different perception of the wolf in areas where the species was always present vs. areas where the wolf returned to only recently.


Where wolves re-colonized recently they provoke high emotions.


Where wolves were never eradicated - tradition of livestock protection still alive.

- Livestock protection measures are mostly funded within the frame of (LIFE+) projects.


Where wolves re-colonized recently - livestock protection measures were given up.

- Most states fund livestock protection measures.

- Costs for livestock protection >> damage compensation.

- The knowledge of effective protection measures for small livestock is available.

- Yet the acceptance for applying protection measures rises only slowly.

© LUPUS

A well designed wildlife management is able to reduce conflicts between large carnivores and human interests.


The availability of wild ungulates is much higher than it was in the 19th century.




A well designed wildlife management is able to reduce conflicts between large carnivores and human interests


to some extent.

Wolf management may provide solutions to reduce real conflicts.


But what about the perceived conflicts?

Science can provide data and facts – improve the knowledge base.

© LUPUS

Wolves in Europe – from a scientific perspective?

Science and solution oriented management is important, but not enough.

© S. Koerner

© S. Koerner

© LUPUS

© LUPUS

© LUPUS

© LUPUS

Dialog and exchange of expierence is as important.

Chapron, G. et al. (2014): Recovery of large carnivores in Europes´s modern human-dominated landscapes. Science 346

http://www.viltskadecenter.se/images/stories/Publikationer/ inventering-av-varg-i-skand-201415-svensknorsk-15juni-webb.pdf

Blanco et al. (2005): Wolf response to two kinds of barriers in an agricultural habitat in Spain. Can. J. Zool. 83

Jedrzejewski et al. (2005): Habitat selection by wolves Canis lupus in the uplands and mountains of southern Poland. Acta Theriologica 50(3).

Jedrzejewski et al. (2004): Habitat variables associated with wolf (Canis lupus) distribution and abundance in northern Poland. Diversity and Distribution 10.

Kaartinen et al. (2005): Finnish wolves avoid roads and settlements. Ann. Zool. Fennici. 42

Ciucci, P. et al. (2009): Long distance dispersal of a rescued wolf from the Northern Appenines to the Alps. J. Wildlf. Managem.

Müller, S. (2006): Diet composition of wolves on the Scandinavian Peninsula determined by scat analyses. Diplom Th.

Jedrzejewski et al. (2012): Prey choice and diet of wolves related to ungulate communities and wolf subpopulations in Poland. J. Mamm. 93 (6).

Kindervater et al. (2014): Nahrungsökologische Untersuchungen am Wolf in Sachsen-Anhalt.

Barja (2009): Prey and prey-age preference by the Iberian wolf in a multiple prey system. Wildl. Biol. (15).

Literature

WAG (2014): Wolf population status in the Alps.

Wabakken, P. et al. (2007): Multistage long-range natal dispersal by a global positioning system-collared Skandinavian wolf. J. Wildlf. Managem.

Reinhardt & Kluth (2016): Abwanderungs- und Raumnutzungsverhalten von Wölfen in Deutschland. Natur und Landschaft (6).

Wesley Andersen et al. (2015): Long-distance dispersal of a wolf in North-Western Europe. Mamm. Research.

Razen N. et al. (2015): Long-distance dispersal connects Dinaric-Balkan and Alpine grey wolf populations. Eur. J. Wildl. Res.

Wagner et al. (2012): Wolf feeding habits during ity first eight years of occurrence in Germany. Mammal. Biol.

Torres et al. (2015): To eat or nor to eat? The diet of the endangered Iberian wolf in a human-dominated landscape in Central Portugal. PLOS one.

Nowak et al. (2011): Diet and prey selection of wolves recolonizing Western and Central Poland. Mamm. Biol.

Meriggi et al. (2011): Change of wolf diet in Italy in relation to increasing wild ungulates abundance. Ethology, Ecology and Evolution. 23 (3).

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