FACE


Swedish wolf hunt: the Commission’s visit
August 2011 - The European Commission continues to scrutinise the Swedish wolf hunt. In mid-June its services expressed a series of concerns in a reasoned opinion to the Swedish government where it asked Sweden to amend certain parts of its wolf policy. In particular it believes that the licensed hunting under derogations in the EU Habitats Directive is in breach of EU nature legislation. The Swedish government allows for a limited strictly controlled hunt as a management measure aiming to create greater social acceptance for controversial conservation measures, such as the relocation and introduction of wolves into new areas to solve problems of inbreeding. This strategy to ensure the long-term maintenance of the wolf populations at a favourable conservation status was not invented by the Swedish government. It finds its support in international conservation science, including in EU-funded scientific projects, notably the Guidelines for population level management plans for large carnivores in Europe prepared for the Commission by the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. FACE has been working very closely with the Swedish Hunters Association to try and ensure some objectivity in the debate and has worked to provide comments and details to the EU Commission and also back to Sweden for use by the Hunters Association in their national work. More recently the Swedish Government has invited the Commission to visit the country to get an objective view of the conservation measures taken and hopefully meet and see some of the realities of people living and working in areas affected by wolves, a move welcomed by the Swedish Hunters Association. On 7 July, Commission officials met with representatives of the Swedish Hunters Association who gave an objective and evidence-based overview of hunting in Sweden, answering questions and providing information. This was followed by providing a first-hand insight into the situation by taking the Commission officials into the heartland of the Swedish wolf territory in the middle of the country, where they could see wolf tracks, the remains of a moose taken by wolves and an abandoned wolf den. According to the Swedish hunting magazine Svensk Jakt, the Commission was surprised at how carefully and meticulously the Swedish authorities had organised and followed up the wolf hunt. It remains to be seen whether this visit will allow the Commission officials in Brussels to step outside conventional views and accept that the wolf population cannot survive in a purely protectionist regime. If no agreement has been reached before mid-August, the Commission may refer Sweden to the EU Court of Justice.

Innovative conservation: the Swedish Wolf Hunt
21.01.2011 - The licensed wolf hunt of 20 wolves in Sweden was challenged by both the European Commission and the EU Commissioner for Environment, Janez Potočnik.

Technical Group Large Carnivores

This body is lead by national experts representing FACE Members who meet to discuss the conservation and legal status of large carnivore species in their respective countries. They also address the various - potential or real - conflict situations (e.g. depredation on domestic animals, game species) affecting various stakeholders (hunters, farmers, tourists, etc).

Large carnivores have a strong socio-cultural status in all societies, not least in Europe. In Europe there are five species of large carnivore, the Wolf (Canis lupus), Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) Wolverine (Gulo gulo), Lynx (Lynx lynx) and Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus). All these species share common features in their requirements for large ranges, a broad mosaic of natural habitats and prey, all of which brings them into conflict with human interests. This conflict has, historically, in some areas resulted in the localised extinction of large carnivores at various periods through history.

More recently however, the status of large carnivores in Europe has undergone a significant change. Much of this has been a result of the expansion of the European Union which has brought into the EU large wilderness areas and significant populations of certain large carnivores. There has at the same time been an increase public interest in large carnivores. Whilst traditions and attitudes towards large carnivores vary from country to country and region to region, it is reasonable to point towards an element of polarisation between urban society who are able to maintain a romanticised view of large carnivores and rural society who have to manage conflicts with large carnivores.
In recent years concurrent with the rising public interest in large carnivores and the inclusion of bigger populations in the EU through political expansion has resulted in a need for the management of these populations. As a result there has been the Large Carnivore Initiative was established and the EU is steadily making progress towards a management plan for large carnivores. For any management plan to be successful there should be meaningful involvement of key stakeholders, which in the case of large carnivores includes hunters.

Hunters are on one hand affected by large carnivores (e.g. depredation of game species and dogs) but on the other hand offer a potential resource to help resolve conflict. To this end, FACE have established a Technical Group to deal specifically with the conservation of large carnivores and to create a platform for hunters to be actively involved in the conservation of large carnivores.

FACE Position Paper