Economic Impact of Protected Large Carnivores on Sheep Farming in Norway

• Main Authors: Asheim, Leif Jarle, Mysterud, Ivar
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2004
• Subjects: Rural Economics; Sheep Farming; Carnivore Management; Depredation; Predator Loss; Norway; Environmental Sciences; Canis lupus; Gulo gulo; Ursus arctos; Aquila chrysaetos; golden eagle; Lynx; Lynx lynx lynx
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdmsheepgoat/4; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/icwdmsheepgoat/article/1003/viewcontent/Asheim1.pdf

Norway has historically been a stronghold for carnivore predators. Today there are four protected carnivore species, brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolverine (Gulo gulo), wolf (Canis lupus) and lynx (Lynx lynx), together with the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). The carnivore populations were significantly reduced, and wolves and bears almost eradicated nationally during the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries (Ministry of the Environment, 1992; 1996-97). Today, the species are protected, and management calls for restoring demographically and/or genetically viable populations (Ministry of the Environment, 1996-97). Another proposal is to view Norwegian management goals and responsibilities in accordance to the Bern Convention in combination with those of Sweden and Finland, i.e. shared-predator populations for the Nordic countries (Nordic Farmers Central Council, 1988). The principle has recently been introduced by the authorities for management of wolves in Norway, defining viability based on a common Norwegian-Swedish population