Favourable conservation status of wolves in Europe

Last updated
Present distribution of Eurasian Wolf Canis lupus lupus.png
All populations, except that of Italy, are made up of the Eurasian wolf. The Canis lupus italicus has been defined as a separate subspecies. A mixture of the European subspecies is desirable from a population-biological point of view, as it increases genetic diversity. Wolf - populations in Europe.png
All populations, except that of Italy, are made up of the Eurasian wolf. The Canis lupus italicus has been defined as a separate subspecies. A mixture of the European subspecies is desirable from a population-biological point of view, as it increases genetic diversity.

The favourable conservation status of wolves is the definition of a wolf population that is no longer threatened with extinction, that is capable of long-term survival. In Europe the favourable conservation status is defined by the Guidelines for Population Level Management Plans for Large Carnivores. It is the minimum viable population, that can be of different numbers of wolves depending on their connectivity with neighbouring populations. According to the IUCN guidelines, at least 1000 adult animals are required for isolated populations. If a wolf population is effectively linked genetically and demographically with other wolf populations, more than 250 mature wolves may be sufficient. [1]

Contents

Developments

Before the entry into force of the Bern Convention of 1979 in 1982, [2] wolves had been decimated to isolated relict populations in some of their formerly extensive distribution areas to end the damage caused by predation to livestock. Populations in Europe have recovered during the four decades of strict protection and are largely in a favourable conservation status. The innate instinctive behaviour of the wolf, with its enormous potential for long-distance migration, favours both its rapid expansion and the genetic connectivity of the various populations. [3] Using satellite telemetry, it has been measured that some wolves travel over 1000 kilometres within a few months. They can colonise new areas relatively quickly. [4] [5] Population genetic analyses by Maris Hindrikson et al. showed a range of 650 to 850 km when using spatial autocorrelation based on three characteristics of genetic diversity. This suggests that the genetic diversity of a wolf population can be influenced by populations up to 850 km away. [6]

Population genetics criteria

Both the number of individuals and the gene flow between populations are important for the conservation status for which a viable population must be available. Luigi Boitani means a minimum number of individuals in an area of minimum size that provides sufficient resources for the animals so that the population is not at risk of extinction. [7]

Definition of favourable conservation state for wolves (LCIE) Conservation status - wolves.png
Definition of favourable conservation state for wolves (LCIE)

According to an IUCN guideline for unspecified animal species, at least 1000 sexually mature individuals are required in an isolated population to ensure its survival and avoid possible inbreeding depression. Connectivity with neighbouring populations has the effect that far fewer individuals are required to avoid inbreeding depression. According to the Guidelines for Management Plans for Large Carnivores at Population Level of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe, a division of the IUCN, a population of more than 250 adult wolves may be sufficient to be classified as "Least Concern" if the wolf population in question has connectivity with others in such a way that the immigrants have genetic and demographic effects. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

"Since the object of any conservation planning should be the entire biological unit, i.e. the population, the guidelines recommend an assessment at population level". [14]

Ilka Reinhardt and Gesa Kluth write in the BfN Script 201 for an independent population: "If one assumes the conservation of 95% of the genetic variation ... is taken as the target value, this means that at least 100 reproducing wolf packs correspond to a favourable conservation status." [15] For example, the German-Western Polish population as a sub-population of the Baltic Population, with the current population in Poland west of the Vistula of at least 95 packs together with five packs belonging to the same sub-population in Germany, would already be in a favourable conservation status, even without the existing exchange with the Baltic and other neighbouring populations. [16] In the monitoring year 2020/21, there were a total of 157 wolf packs registered in Germany. [17]

Development of the wolf population in Germany Wolves in Germany.png
Development of the wolf population in Germany
Wolf attacks on domestic animals Wolves - damage statistics Germany 1.png
Wolf attacks on domestic animals

Wolf monitoring [18] is used to determine the extent to which the genetic exchange between the various wolf populations or subpopulations is taking place again. [19] So today, immigration of wolves from Poland to Germany but also return migration to the east is frequent. Wolves from the Carpathians are migrating into the German-Western Polish population. [20] [21] In Bavaria, there were eight records of wolves migrating from the Alpine population in the period 2009 to 2020. In Baden-Württemberg there were five records of wolves from the Alpine and Italian populations in the period 2015 to 2020. [22] [23] In September 2020, a wolf (GW 1832 m) from the Alps arrived in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis. [24] Individual wolves from the Dinarides-Balkans population have also migrated as far as the German Alpine region. [25] [26] [27] In early summer 2020 a male wolf (GW 1706 m) from the Dinaric population was detected at Traunstein. [28] The Eastern-, Central-, Western- and Southern European wolf subpopulations are all parts of a rapidly growing Metapopulation.

Situation in Europe

Henryk Okarma said in November 2020 at a conference of the European Parliament: "Although the range of the wolf has increased at least sevenfold since 2006 ... by at least seven times and the number of wolves has increased by four to five times, the conservation status ... was still assessed as unfavourable in the most recent report from 2018. Does this mean that we will have to wait until this species is everywhere before designating a favourable conservation status? until this species is everywhere? If the wolf is everywhere, this can cause conflicts and lead to a decrease in the social acceptance of this species and an increase in illegal actions against wolves. Is such a 'favourable conservation status' then our true conservation goal?" [29]

Commitments of the EU Member States

Wolf - protection status in Europe 1.png

The EU Member States monitor the conservation status of natural habitats with their priority species and set up a monitoring system to record the listing of animal species listed in Annex II, IV and V and illegal and exceptionally legal killings. [30] The wolf monitoring records serve as feedback to the IUCN, where entries in the Red List are made in appropriate categories, [31] and to the European Commission (Natura 2000). [32] The EU member states are obliged to pass on the current data to the European Commission so that the latter can adapt the protection status in the Habitats Directive accordingly. [33] [34] A transfer from the list of strictly protected species in Annex IV of the Habitats Directive to the list of protected species in Annex V requires coordination at federal level with neighbouring countries and requires the approval of the European Commission.

The Habitats Directive does not prescribe any protection measures for the individual habitats, it prescribes no listing in Annex II with Sites of Community Importance, [35] but it requires the guarantee of a favourable conservation status as defined above. [36] [37]

The obligation to provide up-to-date data (beyond the usual six-year cycle for species other than large carnivores derives from Article 16.1.c of the Habitats Directive: "(c) in the interests of public health and public safety, or for other imperative reasons of overriding public interest, including those of a social or economic nature and beneficial consequences of primary importance for the environment;" [37] in this case to save pastoral farming with species-appropriate free-range husbandry, which also fulfils an important function for the preservation of biodiversity in open-land biotopes worthy of protection.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red wolf</span> Canid native to the southeastern United States

The red wolf is a canine native to the southeastern United States. Its size is intermediate between the coyote and gray wolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf</span> Type of canine

The wolf, also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus have been recognized, including the dog and dingo, though gray wolves, as popularly understood, only comprise naturally-occurring wild subspecies. The wolf is the largest extant member of the family Canidae, and is further distinguished from other Canis species by its less pointed ears and muzzle, as well as a shorter torso and a longer tail. The wolf is nonetheless related closely enough to smaller Canis species, such as the coyote and the golden jackal, to produce fertile hybrids with them. The wolf's fur is usually mottled white, brown, gray, and black, although subspecies in the arctic region may be nearly all white.

<i>Canis</i> Genus of carnivores

Canis is a genus of the Caninae which includes multiple extant species, such as wolves, dogs, coyotes, and golden jackals. Species of this genus are distinguished by their moderate to large size, their massive, well-developed skulls and dentition, long legs, and comparatively short ears and tails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern wolf</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The eastern wolf, also known as the timber wolf, Algonquin wolf or eastern timber wolf, is a canine of debated taxonomy native to the Great Lakes region and southeastern Canada. It is considered to be either a unique subspecies of gray wolf or red wolf or a separate species from both. Many studies have found the eastern wolf to be the product of ancient and recent genetic admixture between the gray wolf and the coyote, while other studies have found some or all populations of the eastern wolf, as well as coyotes, originally separated from a common ancestor with the wolf over 1 million years ago and that these populations of the eastern wolf may be the same species as or a closely related species to the red wolf of the Southeastern United States. Regardless of its status, it is regarded as unique and therefore worthy of conservation with Canada citing the population in eastern Canada as being the eastern wolf population subject to protection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethiopian wolf</span> Canine native to Ethiopian Highlands

The Ethiopian wolf, also called the red jackal, the Simien jackal or Simien fox, is a canine native to the Ethiopian Highlands. In southeastern Ethiopia, it is also known as the horse jackal. It is similar to the coyote in size and build, and is distinguished by its long and narrow skull, and its red and white fur. Unlike most large canids, which are widespread, generalist feeders, the Ethiopian wolf is a highly specialised feeder of Afroalpine rodents with very specific habitat requirements. It is one of the world's rarest canids, and Africa's most endangered carnivore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexican wolf</span> Subspecies of grey wolf

The Mexican wolf, also known as the lobo, is a subspecies of gray wolf native to southeastern Arizona and southern New Mexico in the United States, and northern Mexico. It once also ranged into western Texas. It is the smallest of North America's gray wolves, and is similar to the Great Plains wolf, though it is distinguished by its smaller, narrower skull and its darker pelt, which is yellowish-gray and heavily clouded with black over the back and tail. Its ancestors were likely the first gray wolves to enter North America after the extinction of the Beringian wolf, as indicated by its southern range and basal physical and genetic characteristics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian wolf</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Eurasian wolf, also known as the common wolf, is a subspecies of grey wolf native to Europe and Asia. It was once widespread throughout Eurasia prior to the Middle Ages. Aside from an extensive paleontological record, Indo-European languages typically have several words for "wolf", thus attesting to the animal's abundance and cultural significance. It was held in high regard in Baltic, Celtic, Slavic, Turkic, ancient Greek, Roman, Dacian, and Thracian cultures, whilst having an ambivalent reputation in early Germanic cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Italian wolf</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Italian wolf, also known as the Apennine wolf, is a subspecies of the grey wolf native to the Italian Peninsula. It inhabits the Apennine Mountains and the Western Alps, though it is undergoing expansion towards the north and east. As of 2022 the wolf population within Italy is estimated to be 3,307 individuals. Although not universally recognised as a distinct subspecies, it nonetheless possesses a unique mtDNA haplotype and a distinct skull morphology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabian wolf</span> Subspecies of the gray wolf

The Arabian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf native to the Arabian Peninsula—to the west of Bahrain, as well as Oman, southern Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. They are also found in Israel’s Negev and Arava Deserts, Jordan, Palestine, and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula. It is the smallest Gray wolf subspecies, and a specialized xerocole (arid-adapted) animal that normally lives in smaller familial packs. Arabian wolves are omnivorous and opportunistic eaters; they consume small to medium-sized prey, from insects, reptiles and birds to rodents and small ungulates, such as young Nubian ibex and several species of gazelle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian wolf</span> Wolf subspecies

The Indian wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf that ranges from Southwest Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It is intermediate in size between the Himalayan wolf and the Arabian wolf, and lacks the former's luxuriant winter coat due to it living in warmer conditions. Within this subspecies, the "Indian plains wolf" is genetically basal to all other extant Canis lupus apart from the older-lineage Himalayan wolf, with both proposed as separate species. The Indian wolf travels in smaller packs and is less vocal than other variants of the gray wolf, and has a reputation for being cunning. The Indian wolf is one of the most endangered populations of gray wolf in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Himalayan wolf</span> Subspecies of mammal

The Himalayan wolf is a canine of debated taxonomy. It is distinguished by its genetic markers, with mitochondrial DNA indicating that it is genetically basal to the Holarctic grey wolf, genetically the same wolf as the Tibetan and Mongolian wolf, and has an association with the African wolf. No striking morphological differences are seen between the wolves from the Himalayas and those from Tibet. The Himalayan wolf lineage can be found living in Ladakh in the Himalayas, the Tibetan Plateau, and the mountains of Central Asia predominantly above 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in elevation because it has adapted to a low-oxygen environment, compared with other wolves that are found only at lower elevations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Coastal Sea wolf</span> Subspecies of carnivore

The Vancouver Island wolf, also known as the coastal wolf or sea wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf, endemic to the coast of the Pacific Northwest. They are a unique species of wolf due to their semi-aquatic lifestyle, which includes a diet that is almost entirely marine-based.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution of the wolf</span>

The evolution of the wolf occurred over a geologic time scale of at least 300 thousand years. The grey wolf Canis lupus is a highly adaptable species that is able to exist in a range of environments and which possesses a wide distribution across the Holarctic. Studies of modern grey wolves have identified distinct sub-populations that live in close proximity to each other. This variation in sub-populations is closely linked to differences in habitat – precipitation, temperature, vegetation, and prey specialization – which affect cranio-dental plasticity.

The Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE) is a working group of the IUCN Commission on the Conservation of Species. and a Non-governmental organization. President of the LCIE is the Secretary of the IUCN Wolf Specialist Group Luigi Boitani. Its objective is to maintain and restore viable populations of large carnivores in coexistence with humans as an integral part of ecosystems and landscapes throughout Europe.

Luigi Boitani is a professor of zoology at the Sapienza University of Rome, whose research interests include ecology, the protection of large mammals, and the management of protected areas. Boitani is president of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe.

Ilka Reinhardt is a German biologist and wolf expert. She is together with Gesa Kluth Founder and director of LUPUS - Institute for Wolf Monitoring and Research in Germany and the Freundeskreis freilebender Wölfe. She was appointed by the Saxon State Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture as the wolf commissioner. Ilka Reinhardt works with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Naturschutzbund Deutschland. In Poland, the biologist Sabina Nowak has a similar position. Ilka Reinhardt and Sabina Nowak are members of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe and cooperate with the CEWolf Consortium.

LUPUS - Institute for Wolf Monitoring and Research in Germany is a research institute with its headquarters in Spreewitz. It was founded in January 2003 as Wildbiologisches Büro LUPUS by the biologists Gesa Kluth and Ilka Reinhardt and is managed by them until today (2019). Their main area of work is the scientific monitoring and research of the natural repopulation of Germany by the wolf. LUPUS works on behalf of the Saxon State Ministry for the Environment and Agriculture and is supported among others by the Bundesamt für Naturschutz, the Bundesforst, the Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Sabina Nowak is a Polish scientist and wolf expert. She is president of the Association for Nature Wolf and a member of the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe.

Gesa Kluth is a German biologist and wolf expert.

References

  1. ↑ Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe: Guidelines for Population Level Management Plans for Large Carnivores page 19: "For classifications based on criteria D the appropriate downgrading would imply that if a population has sufficient connectivity to allow enough immigrants to have a demographic impact there would in principle only need to be more than 250 mature individuals in the population for it to be of "least concern"."
  2. ↑ Europarat: Details of Treaty No. 104
  3. ↑ D. P. J. Kuijper, E. Sahlén, B. Elmhagen: Paws without claws? Ecological effects of large carnivores in anthropogenic landscapes
  4. ↑ Biology and ecology of the wolf - potential for expansion Page 19
  5. ↑ Merill and L. David Mech: The usefulness of GPS telemetry to study wolfcircadian and social activity
  6. ↑ Maris Hindrikson, Jaanus Remm, Malgorzata Pilot et al.: Wolf population genetics in Europe: a systematic review, meta-analysis and suggestions for conservation and management
  7. ↑ Luigi Boitani: Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation page 332
  8. ↑ Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe: pdf Guidelines for Population Level Management Plans for Large Carnivores Page 19: "For classifications based on criteria D the appropriate downgrading would imply that if a population has sufficient connectivity to allow enough immigrants to have a demographic impact there would in principle only need to be more than 250 mature individuals in the population for it to be of "least concern"."
  9. ↑ Guidelines for Population Level Management Plans for Large Carnivores Archived 2020-10-16 at the Wayback Machine Page 20
  10. ↑ R. Wayne, P. Hedrick: Genetics and wolf conservation in the American West: Lessons and challenges
  11. ↑ European Commission Environment: Large carnivores in the EU - the Commission's activity on large carnivores
  12. ↑ Laikre L, Olsson F. et al.: com/articles/hdy201644 Metapopulation effective size and conservation genetic goals for the Fennoscandian wolf (Canis lupus) population Archived 2013-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ Guillaume Chapron, Stéphane Legendre et al.: pdf Conservation and control strategies for the wolf (Canis lupus)in western Europe based on demographic models
  14. ↑ Ilka Reinhardt, Petra Kaczensky, Felix Knauer,Georg Rauer, Gesa Kluth, Sybille Wölflmar, Huckschlag, Ulrich Wotschikowsky: Monitoring von Wolf, Luchs und Bär in Deutschland page 12
  15. ↑ Life with wolves Guide for dealing with a conflict-prone species in Germany - 2.4. Viable population Page 15 and 16
  16. ↑ IFAW: Neue Zahlen: Mehr Wolfsrudel in Westpolen
  17. ↑ DBBW: Wolf territories in Germany - summary by federal states
  18. ↑ Ilka Reinhardt, Gesa Kluth, Sabina Nowak, Robert W. Mysłajek: Standards for the monitoring of the Central European wolf population in Germany and Poland 2015
  19. ↑ Maris Hindrikson, Jaanu Remm et al.: Wolf population genetics in Europe: a systematic review, meta-analysis and suggestions for conservation and management
  20. ↑ Sylwia Czarnomska, Bogumiła Jedrzejewska, Henryk Okarma and others: Concordant mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA structuring between Polish lowland and Carpathian Mountain wolves. Conservation Genetics 14 (3). June 2013, retrieved on 1 July 2015 (PDF; p. 573-588).
  21. ↑ Freundeskreis freilbender Wölfe: Wolves and Science - Central Poland, a genetic melting pot for wolves
  22. ↑ Bavarian State Office for the Environment: First records of category C1 wolves in Bavaria 2006 to 2018
  23. ↑ Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Baden-Württemberg: Clear evidence (C1) of wolves in Baden-Württemberg Archived 2019-04-03 at the Wayback Machine
  24. ↑ Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy of Baden-Württemberg: Wolf suspicion in the Neckar-Odenwald-Kreis-confirmed Archived 2020-10-26 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ↑ Management Plan Wolves in Bavaria - Stage 1. StMUGV Munich 2007. Retrieved on 20 January 2018.
  26. ↑ Management Plan Wolves in Bavaria - Stage 2. Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt. Court 2014. Retrieved on 20 January 2018.
  27. ↑ The return of the wolf to Baden-Württemberg. Guidelines for action for the emergence of individual wolves. Ministry for Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg. Stuttgart 2013. Retrieved on 17 January 2018.
  28. ↑ "Monitoring of wolves" (in German). Bavarian State Office for the Environment.
  29. ↑ Koexistenz mit Großraubtieren: nächste Schritte zur Erhaltung und Bewirtschaftung
  30. ↑ Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe: pdf Guidelines for Population Level Management Plans for Large Carnivores page 22
  31. ↑ IUCN: Canis lupus assessment information
  32. ↑ Natura 2000: Species of Annexes IV and V of the Fauna Flora Habitats Directive
  33. ↑ Salvatori, V. and Linnell, J.: pdf Report on the conservation status and threats for wolf (Canis lupus) in Europe Archived 2020-10-24 at the Wayback Machine Council of Europe, Strasbourg 2005
  34. ↑ European Commission: Conservation Status of large Carnivores
  35. ↑ The Habitats Directive: Species protection under the Habitats Directive
  36. ↑ Henryk Okarma, Sven Herzog: Handbuch Wolf. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2019, ISBN   978-3-440-16433-4, page 201.
  37. 1 2 Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.