New study in Finland suggests total # of wolf population

tiistai 16. elokuuta 2016

By Niina Perkkiö  

Interesting but not practical.

A new study made in Stockholm university and published in Nature suggests that Finland should have at least 800 and Sweden 1200 wolves to keep the whole Fennoscandian wolf population genetically viable in long term. Fennoscandian population includes subpopulations of Scandinavia, Finland, Russian Karelia and Kola peninsula.

Study does not seem to trust Russia's populations to be any help since Russia is not bound by any international laws of conservation thus requiring Finland and Sweden/Norway to have 2000 wolves or 500 breeding individuals between them. Unfortunately such amounts are not practical in any way. Both Finland and Sweden are having trouble with their less than 50 packs per country, amounts of 100 packs/pairs in Finland and 150 in Sweden are something that can not be realized, simply due demographics. Both Finland and Sweden are thoroughly inhabited outside the reindeer herding areas, leaving only fragmented areas for packs to live.

The fragmentation of areas.

 

From the blog "Wolves of Finland"