130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

from Finland to northern Ukraine, throughout
the Balkan countries, around the Carpathians in
eastern Europe, in central Scandinavia, along the
Alps and the Italian peninsula, and northern Spain
and Portugal, with smaller populations in southcentral
Spain, and across Germany and Poland [8] .
Habitat preferences and general densities
Dependent on prey density and the level of human
disturbance, the Grey wolf is found in a wide variety
of habitats within the Northern hemisphere [6] ,
where suitable food is abundant [1] . This includes
dense forest, open grasslands, mountain ranges and
the Arctic tundra [5] , as well as in highly human-modified
habitats such as agricultural areas [9] . Wolf
densities vary from 0.1 to 1 individual per 12 km 2 ,
with the greatest numbers being recorded in areas
where prey biomass is highest [1] .
Legal protection and conservation status
The Grey wolf has been protected in most of Europe
since 1979, when it was included in Appendix II of
the Bern Convention [10] . The species is now recolonising
areas in central and western Europe such
as the Western Alps [6, 11] and Scandinavia [12] . In
addition, it is listed on Appendix II of CITES [13] and
protected by the EC Habitat Directive [14] , with the
exception of some populations in Spain, Greece
and Finland. Many countries do not enforce this
level of protection and there are still significant
illegal killings [2] . While many wolf populations
occur in protected areas [1] , these are usually too
small to be of benefit to the species [12] . In many
European countries compensation schemes exist
for loss of livestock due to wolf predation [15] .
Abundance and distribution:
current status
The Grey wolf’s global Red List category is Least
Concern [6] due to its large range and stable global
population trend [6] . However, threats to the species
remain: hunting and poaching are widespread and
likely the most significant threat in Europe [2] . Where
human and wolf distributions overlap, livestock
depredation leads to the killing of wolves, particularly
in developing countries [6] . The low densities
at which wolves exist make them particularly
vulnerable to hunting as well as stochastic events [2] .
In addition, habitat fragmentation is a significant
threat through the isolation of small populations and
the chance of dispersal to unsuitable habitats [2] . In
Europe, the species is also listed as Least Concern [15] ,
although the majority of regional populations are
threatened due to their small size. Only the Central
European and Sierra Morena populations are
considered to be Critically Endangered (Table 1). In
terms of population size, the current global estimate
is around 200,000 individuals (Table 1). Europe
comprises only a fraction of the species’ global distribution
and accounts for a minimum of 7% or 11,500
individuals. Around 82% of European wolves (not
including Belarus, Ukraine and European Russia) are
found in the Dinaric-Balkan, Carpathian, Baltic and
Iberian populations (Table 2).
The Dinaric-Balkan population accounts for
around one-third of Europe’s wolves and covers a
large area from Slovenia to northcentral Greece [15] ,
including Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Serbia, Montenegro, FYR Macedonia and
Albania [17] . Its conservation status is favourable due
Table 1.
Summary of Global
and European Red
List assessments and
threats listed for the
Grey wolf.
Scale Status Population trend Justification Threats
Global
Least Concern Stable Wide range
1. Competition with humans for livestock and wild
[6]
Stable population
ungulates (especially in developing countries)
2. Poisoning and persecution
3. Low human tolerance
4. Habitat fragmentation (resulting in non-viable pops)
Europe
[15]
Least Concern Increasing Large size
Increasing
As above
Europe –
regional
populations
[15]
Critically
Endangered:
Central Europe,
Sierra Morena
Endangered:
Westerncentral
Alps,
Scandinavia
Increasing:
Iberia, Westerncentral
Alps, Italian
peninsula
Decreasing: Karelia
Small size
1. Human persecution
2. Lack/fragmentation of management regimes
3. Small population size
4. Habitat fragmentation
5. Low genetic variability
Vulnerable:
Italian
peninsula
Near
Threatened:
Iberia, Karelia
Least Concern:
Dinaric-Balkan,
Carpathian,
Baltic
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