Management plan for the wolf population in Finland now completed
A new management plan for the wolf population in Finland describes the actions that the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will implement in managing the country's wolf population and handling conflict situations involving wolves. The management plan for the wolf population is the first of the management plans for individual game species now being prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The management plan was prepared in compliance with international regulatory frameworks and taking into account the international obligations placed on Finland concerning management of the wolf population. During the various stages of preparation of the management plan, local people, regional players and national interest organizations were extensively heard.
The management plan for the wolf population in Finland is divided into two main sections. The first section sets the background for the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's policy vis-à-vis the wolf population. It describes the biology of the wolf and the status of the wolf population and compares the situation in Finland with international research where relevant. The first section also deals with topics such as international legislation, international obligations and forms of cooperation, the economic losses caused by wolves, the shared history of the wolf and man, previous aims of wolf population management and the nature of that management so far. Further, the first section comprises research material drawn from the hearing procedure which is closely linked with the practical section of the plan, i.e. the actual management plan.
The practical management plan presents guidelines based on the biology of the wolf, on the one hand, but also on socio-economic facts that are considered important in this context on the other, all of which the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry will apply in its continued systematic management of the wolf population in Finland. The fundamental aim of management is to maintain a favourable conservation status for the wolf population. This aim will be implemented through the combined effect of different measures. Measures are proposed for aspects such as the management of regional wolf populations, the prevention of damage and its costs, compensation for damage, the granting of exceptions from the protection of wolves, monitoring the wolf population, research and how to develop it, the provision of advisory services and information, supervision of hunting and cooperation among the various parties involved.
In September 2005, the European Commission referred Finland to the European Court of Justice over the way Finland is handling its wolf population. Finland contested these claims in a response dated 7 December 2005. The management plan for the wolf population represents a way of demonstrating to the European Commission how Finland intends to manage its wolf population in the particular circumstances that prevail in Finland with respect to this matter.
Further information:
Jouni Lind, Special Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel: +358 9 160 53302
Sauli Härkönen, Senior Officer, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, tel: +358 40 752 3302
