205
for the period 2010–2014 (statistics from the Sami Parliament, Sametinget). As
dead reindeer are hard to find in the woods and mountains and it is difficult for
reindeer herders to prove their losses so, in 1996, a new compensation system was
launched. Since then, County Administrations (i.e. the regional governments that
are responsible for the management of large carnivores, among other
things (Sandström and Lindvall 2006)) have the obligation to count carnivores
instead, and compensation is payed based on the number of carnivores and their
potential effects on reindeer, rather than on proven losses (Schneider 2012).
The Swedish compensation system has been evaluated scientifically and it has
been found to be effective in supporting the conservation of large carnivores and in
helping to mitigate their negative effects on reindeer herding (Zabel et al. 2010;
Persson et al. 2015). The Swedish system is an example of conservation performance payments, which are a type of payment for environmental services (Zabel
and Holm-Müller 2008; Zabel and Engel n.d.). In this case, reindeer herders are
paid to conserve carnivores, instead of hunting them in retaliation or as precaution
to protect reindeer. Performance payments are tied to quantitatively measureable
indicators of conservation outcomes, here being the number of carnivores that are
present on reindeer grazing grounds. In order to collect unbiased measures of carnivore numbers, County Administrations (as independent parties) do the surveillance.
The approaches to carnivore management in Sweden and Norway are quite different, but the two countries share common populations of the species. Consequently,
Sweden and Norway recently launched a joint system for the monitoring of the
trans-border populations of brown bear, wolf, wolverine and lynx. A process for
developing a joint system for golden eagles started in 2015 and should be operational from 2019. The advantages of a joint system are many: comparable results
between countries and between years, regular estimations of carnivore population
sizes at regional, national and Scandinavian levels, updated maps of species distribution, involvement of stakeholders in carnivore management, and a well-informed
public due to great media interest in carnivore issues.
Each County Administration is responsible for being well-informed about carnivore numbers and distribution, and about problems caused by the predators. For this
purpose, specially trained wildlife rangers are employed who mostly work in the
field. In co-operation with reindeer herders, hunters and ornithologists, they survey
the populations of carnivores. Large carnivores are surveyed according to the rules
and guidelines issued by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the
Sami Parliament (links to relevant publications (in Swedish) are listed at www.
naturvardsverket.se).
Research, Monitoring and Management
Humans have always been interested in large carnivores, primarily because these
animals can be dangerous to them, but also because they can be a threat to livestock,
or because the strength, agility and beauty of predators fascinates and inspires
A Toolbox for Remotely Monitoring Large Carnivores in Sweden
for the period 2010–2014 (statistics from the Sami Parliament, Sametinget). As
dead reindeer are hard to find in the woods and mountains and it is difficult for
reindeer herders to prove their losses so, in 1996, a new compensation system was
launched. Since then, County Administrations (i.e. the regional governments that
are responsible for the management of large carnivores, among other
things (Sandström and Lindvall 2006)) have the obligation to count carnivores
instead, and compensation is payed based on the number of carnivores and their
potential effects on reindeer, rather than on proven losses (Schneider 2012).
The Swedish compensation system has been evaluated scientifically and it has
been found to be effective in supporting the conservation of large carnivores and in
helping to mitigate their negative effects on reindeer herding (Zabel et al. 2010;
Persson et al. 2015). The Swedish system is an example of conservation performance payments, which are a type of payment for environmental services (Zabel
and Holm-Müller 2008; Zabel and Engel n.d.). In this case, reindeer herders are
paid to conserve carnivores, instead of hunting them in retaliation or as precaution
to protect reindeer. Performance payments are tied to quantitatively measureable
indicators of conservation outcomes, here being the number of carnivores that are
present on reindeer grazing grounds. In order to collect unbiased measures of carnivore numbers, County Administrations (as independent parties) do the surveillance.
The approaches to carnivore management in Sweden and Norway are quite different, but the two countries share common populations of the species. Consequently,
Sweden and Norway recently launched a joint system for the monitoring of the
trans-border populations of brown bear, wolf, wolverine and lynx. A process for
developing a joint system for golden eagles started in 2015 and should be operational from 2019. The advantages of a joint system are many: comparable results
between countries and between years, regular estimations of carnivore population
sizes at regional, national and Scandinavian levels, updated maps of species distribution, involvement of stakeholders in carnivore management, and a well-informed
public due to great media interest in carnivore issues.
Each County Administration is responsible for being well-informed about carnivore numbers and distribution, and about problems caused by the predators. For this
purpose, specially trained wildlife rangers are employed who mostly work in the
field. In co-operation with reindeer herders, hunters and ornithologists, they survey
the populations of carnivores. Large carnivores are surveyed according to the rules
and guidelines issued by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and the
Sami Parliament (links to relevant publications (in Swedish) are listed at www.
naturvardsverket.se).
Research, Monitoring and Management
Humans have always been interested in large carnivores, primarily because these
animals can be dangerous to them, but also because they can be a threat to livestock,
or because the strength, agility and beauty of predators fascinates and inspires
A Toolbox for Remotely Monitoring Large Carnivores in Sweden