When conservation interests of carnivore and prey collide

The reintroduction preparations of a native wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) to its historical range in SW Finland have been started. The world population of only ~4000 individuals of this wild reindeer... [ view full abstract ]

The reintroduction preparations of a native wild forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) to its historical range in SW Finland have been started. The world population of only ~4000 individuals of this wild reindeer subspecies dwells in Finland and in Russian Karelia. The most viable Finnish subpopulation in central parts of the country is of reintroduction origin from the 1980s. It has been increasing with varying rate right from the start, and it is now 1450-1500 strong. The original remnant population across the Finland-Russia border, however, has been showing a decreasing trend in the past decades. Research evidence indicates that in the Finnish side of the border the most important proximate causes of mortality are predation and traffic. In Russian side, signs of considerable poaching have been detected. The recently started SW Finland reintroduction is a part of an EU Life project. The procedure includes a five-year period of captive breeding in on-site enclosures during 2017-2021, and soft-releases of offspring and acclimatized adults directly from the enclosures from 2019 on. The costs of this five-year reintroduction effort on two sites are budgeted to be 1 M€, which will be covered with public funds. Extensive analyses of social aspects of the planned reintroduction have been carried out among the local and regional stakeholders prior to the onset of activities, and apparently a consensus among the stakeholders prevails about the importance of the reintroduction. The conservation objective of wild reindeer reintroduction is considered justified among the stakeholders, and the situation appears to be free of conflict. Experts assume that while the number of free-ranging released animals is still critically low, the most severe risk for failure in the reintroduction is going to be predation by large carnivores (particularly wolf), which are strictly protected by the EU Habitats Directive. To manage the predation risk, the Finnish game administration has defined science-based courses of conduct in the national management action plans of large carnivores and of the forest reindeer itself. The action plans describe a need for temporary but effective carnivore control via derogations in and around the reintroduction area, particularly in the beginning of the reintroduction activity. Only recently, however, the first derogation application on preventive removal of a newly established wolf pack (based on Habitats Directive article 16.1.a) in the area was rejected. The wording in the rejecting document imply that an actual threat towards this wild reindeer conservation effort needs to materialize before a derogation can be justified. In other words, irrespective of a very low number of released wild reindeer at the start, and the supposed high risk of predation, preventive control of wolves might not take place beforehand. In addition to describing the status quo of this significant conservation action, the purpose of this presentation is to gather researchers’ and managers’ view about this arrangement, where conservation interests of carnivore and its prey collide, and where also carnivore conservation and responsible use of public funds are in a collision course.