In reply to Doug:
> The Iberian lynx is a different species from that found further north & east, its often described as the world's most endangered cat. They have different diets and live in different landscapes.
yes, I know I only highlighted it as an example of cost, but also failures due to road kills etc..
> As for wolf in Sweden, I know you live there but I do work with staff from SEPA,
yes and the SEPA report highlighted the inbreeding, that I mentioned above. Due to the lack of Finnish /Russian land connection they proposed the immediate solution was to cull some and replace stock. This was over ruled in court, not by the Sami, the farmers etc.. but by conservation groups, which is ironic when it would make the existing packs healthier.
> the ministry and other bodies involved & it has all got very political
yes and the city living green lobby are currently more problematic than the landowners, farmers or sami. The Sami have had recent success in the blocking the development of mines, so their lobby power is still strong though. The current situation isn't likely to improve as the far left and the green alliance are currently a minority coalition in office, so any political progress on anything for another 3 years is limited.
> What is clear is that the existing population is both too small & too inbred to have much chance of survival but low levels of migration form population in Russia would solve this. Unfortunately such animals would have to get across the reindeer grazing areas in northern Sweden which under current circumstances isn't very likely unless given a helping hand. Shooting of individuals that cross into Norway by Norwegians doesn't help either.
I would agree, but it is also a question of where the wolves go, their habitat is remote by UK or Stockholm suburb standards but not zero population. The remote areas of Europe aren't quite the same as some US national parks which are essentially unpopulated.
Can't blame the farmer for shooting a wolf coming onto his land. The last lone wolf near us (2 weeks ago), trekked along the road past cars and houses during the day. If it's not shot or captured soon, it will probably kill sheep when they are sent out as the weather warms. There is compensation, but it's a flat rate. No special prices for speciality breeds, breeding stock, lost of future income... only a carcass price.
There are other politics in play, there are roughly 300,000 land/forest owners in Sweden (if you ignore the small holders) who generally would prefer to see less wolves, certainly less elk and wild boar. There are roughly 300,000 people with hunting licences who would like more wildlife and some people have a ticket in both camps. In many parts of Sweden it is impossible to grow young pine etc.. as there are too many elk and the annual cull quota isn't high enough, a solution more wolves in rural areas; that isn't going to go down well either.
I don't think there is a solution, the human population from a time when all these animals roam freely in large numbers has multiplied many times. Rewinding the clock back isn't quite so simple. That said you could put some lynx into remote parts of the UK and no one would notice the difference.
Post edited at 08:52