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Eur J Wildl Res (2010) 56:771779 DOI 10.1007/s10344-010-0374-0
ORIGINAL PAPER
The good bad wolfwolf evaluation reveals the roots of the Finnish wolf conflict
Jukka Bisi & Tuija Liukkonen & Sakari Mykr &
Mari Pohja-Mykr & Sami Kurki
Received: 6 April 2009 /Revised: 22 January 2010 /Accepted: 1 March 2010 /Published online: 25 March 2010 # Springer-Verlag 2010
Abstract This article focuses on the roots of the Finnish wolf conflict by using stakeholder evaluations of the wolf as a tool. The recent growth of the wolf population has highlighted stakeholders_ contradictory objectives and revealed a conflict between the two main stakeholders, conservationists and hunters, in wolf management. The question of hunting emerges as the core of the conflict. The negative evaluation of the wolf by hunters reflects a competitive situation, which is typical of the historical development of wolf management in Finland. In areas with the most abundant wolf populations, hunters view the wolf most negatively. This study clearly demonstrates that the Finnish wolf conflict is rooted in the values of modern society and carries a long historical, practical and ecological background in which humans and wolves compete over resources, mainly the moose. The conflict between hunters and conservationists in wolf management is connected to
the appreciation of moose as game and stems from competition between humans and wolves over their prey and the historical presence or absence of the wolf.
Keywords Conflict . Competition . Conservationists . Evaluation . Hunters . Wolf management history
Introduction
Since 1990, the wolf population in Finland has recovered significantly (Kojola et al. 2004a, 2006a, b), increasing from four family packs in 1996 to 25 packs in 2007 (Kojola 2007). Consequently, the expansion and the growth of the population have raised new challenges to wolf management objectives (Bisi et al. 2007; Bisi and Kurki 2008). The wolf population has grown the most in the eastern regions of Finland. Simultaneously, some areas have no or relatively few wolves. This situation has placed people and their environments into unequal relationships vis--vis the wolf. In some areas, the wolf is a part of everyday life, whereas in other areas, it exists only in discussions. The return of the wolf has resulted in a complex multilevel management conflict, extending ultimately to a conflict between...