Facts of possible wolf hunt in Finland.

There are minimum of 150 wolves in Finland (census of february 2014). There are 29 packs with confirmed reproduction last summer. 5 of these are border packs (they live in the border of Finland and Russia). Also there are 9 unconfirmed reproductions inside Finland borders gnd 3 unconfirmed in the border packs.

The licensed hunting is going to be strictly regulated. Only 30 hunters are allowed to take part of the hunt per license. There must 1 leader and two vice leaders per hunt. All hunters should be experienced and their names are written up.

The number of licenses to be given would be maximum of 29. It can be lower than this. The duration of a license is 21 days. Each one of the licenses is considered individually and each license is appointed to a certain pack from where a young individual can be removed.

The hunting itself is a part of two-year test. During these 2 years the effect of hunting on the behavior and viability of the wolf population is assessed and if no issues with viability is noticed and the behavior of wolves changes the regulated hunting could continue in the future with the same rules and restrictions as during the test period.

What comes to the restrictions from EU, the article 16 of Habitats directive gives a chance to derogate from the tight protection.

1.  Provided that there is no satisfactory alternative and the derogation is not detrimental to the maintenance of the populations of the species concerned at a favourable conservation status in their natural range, Member States may derogate from the provisions of Articles 12, 13, 14 and 15 (a) and (b):
...
(e) to allow, under strictly supervised conditions, on a selective basis and to a limited extent, the taking or keeping of certain specimens of the species listed in Annex IV in limited numbers specified by the competent national authorities.

The sub-clause (e) allows restricted hunting if the favorable conservation status is reached.
In the Wolf Management Plan of Finland (2007) the amount of reproductions must be a minimum of 20 per year if the amount of immigration from Russia stays the same. In case the immigration is smaller the amount of yearly reproductions must be a minimum of 25. This has been exceeded so the derogation is possible.

The reason for the hunt is mostly the changed behavior of wolves and the fear their behavior causes. It is also a a test to find out if a carrot is a better motivator than the stick what comes to reduce poaching and it's silent acceptance.

TT