Space use and habitat selection of the wolf (Canis lupus) in human-altered environment in Finland

• Main Author: Kaartinen, S. (Salla)
• Other Authors: Kojola, I. (Ilpo), Luoto, M. (Miska)
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Oulun yliopisto 2011
• Subjects: den site; dispersal; habitat selection; human influence; large predator; space use; wolf; dispersaali; elinympäristön valinta; habitaatti; ihmistoiminnan vaikutus; pesäpaikka; susi; suurpeto; tilankäyttö; Canis lupus; karelia*
• Online Access: http://urn.fi/urn:isbn:9789514293825

Abstract The grey wolf is the most widely distributed of all land mammals and is a habitat generalist that inhabits all the vegetation types of the Northern Hemisphere. Wolves also breed well and have the potential to rapidly expand to new areas. In Finland, the wolf is a game species, and as a result of Finland’s membership of the European Union, the wolf population is subject to very limited hunting due to the obligation to protect the species. Mainly for this reason, the wolf population in Finland has increased significantly in recent years. In particular, the birth rate has developed favourably and the number of litters increased from just four in 1996 to 20 in 2005. It also seems at present that the wolf population in Finland is no longer following the fluctuations in wolf numbers in Russian Karelia. The general aim of this dissertation is to provide applicable knowledge for wolf management and conservation purposes, and especially to examine the effects of human-modified landscapes on wolf population expansion in Finland. Various aspects of habitat selection were investigated in four sub-studies to gain a thorough insight into the space use and habitat needs of wolves. Species data came from a long-term wolf population study that included location information from 85 radio- and GPS-GSM-collared wolves from 1998 onwards, as well as track location data based on about 30 000 annual observations recorded with geographical coordinates by a local network of experts on large carnivores. I found that adaptability makes it possible for the wolf to live in the multiple-use, semi-wild forests of Finland and that no restrictions are imposed by the landscape on wolf population growth and expansion. In general, the results of my dissertation provide evidence that wolves tend to avoid the presence of human influence when establishing a territory and also when selecting their den site. However, as wolf numbers increase, conflict situations will more frequently occur between wolves and humans, although the risk of ...