Coherent Predator Policy

The Swedish Parliament has decided to ensure the long-term survival of Sweden's large carnivores – brown bear, wolverine, golden eagle, lynx and wolf. A broad series of measures are taken to minimise conflicts and to prevent damage.

The programme includes predator surveys, grants to prevent and compensate for damage, controlled hunting, delegated decision making, research, enforcement of hunting legislation, dialogue and communication on predators.

The Swedish EPA and county administrative boards are jointly responsible for implementing the policy.

Dialogue and cooperation

A central feature of predator policy is to prevent damage so as to avoid conflicts between man and predators. Dialogue and cooperation on the policy are important and so the Swedish EPA has created the Council for Predator Issues, made up of members from various organisations.

Similarly, there are regional predator groups in 17 counties. This helps the public agencies to maintain better contact with associations and the inhabitants of areas where predators are present. Different parties are given the opportunity to express their views. The regional predator groups are involved when county administrative boards produce regional predator management plans.

Permissible range

Predators are to be allowed to spread within the limits of their natural range. Most large carnivores inhabit the forests of central and northern Sweden. They ought to be able to recolonise areas of forest in southern and central Sweden where they were wiped out in the 20th century.

However, Parliament has decided that their status in reindeer areas should be managed so that organised reindeer husbandry is not rendered impossible.

Minimum levels for brown bear and lynx

Parliament has laid down various targets for the size of the predator populations. This is expressed as the number of reproductions, i.e. number of females producing young each year, in Sweden.

Minimum levels were set for the brown bear and lynx. These were roughly equivalent to the population sizes, according to the assessment made in 2001. Subsequent surveys suggest that there are fewer lynx and that brown bears are more numerous.

Numbers can exceed the minimum but greater account must then be taken of other interests that may conflict with the predators, such as reindeer herding. Another aim of the policy for bears is that they should recolonise the areas between their current breeding strongholds and continue to move southwards.
The minimum levels are: 

• Brown bear – 100 reproductions, which represents approximately 1,000 individuals. There are currently around 2,550 brown bears in Sweden (2004). 
• Lynx – 300 reproductions, which represents around 1,500 individuals. There were 261 reproductions in 2006.

Low numbers of wolf and wolverine

The long-term survival of the wolf and wolverine in Sweden is not assured. Numbers are low. For this reason, Parliament has set interim objectives for these animals. When those targets have been reached, the situation will be re-evaluated. The interim objectives are:

• Wolf – 20 reproductions, which represents approximately 200 animals. In 2006 we have a preliminary figure of 15 reproductions in Sweden and two in Norway. There are around 150 animals in total.
• Wolverine – 90 reproductions, representing 575 animals. There were 55 reproductions in 2006. 
  

Illegal hunting

The minimum sentence for serious instances of illegal hunting or receiving illegally hunted animals is six months' imprisonment. The maximum sentence is 4 years imprisonment. Preliminary investigations are carried out in many counties by special environmental investigators working under environmental prosecutors.