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Why is Sweden going to kill 20% of its brown bears?

2024-08-22 11:10:00, Blog CNA

Sweden has issued licenses to kill 20% of its brown bear population in the country's annual bear hunt, which begins today, despite concerns from conservationists.

Officials have issued licenses for fewer than 500 brown bears to be killed by hunters. This equates to about 20% of the total population, according to official figures, and would bring the number of bears in Sweden to roughly 2,000 – a drop of nearly 40% since 2008.

The high number of licenses issued has alarmed conservationists, who say Europe's large predator populations could face collapse in some countries without adequate protection.

"It's pure trophy hunting," said Magnus Orrebrant, chairman of the Swedish Carnivore Association.

"Wildlife management in Sweden is about killing animals rather than conserving them to the best of our abilities."

Brown bears were hunted almost to extinction in Sweden in the 1920s, but thanks to careful management the population recovered to a peak of around 3,300 in 2008.

However, over the past five years, increasing numbers of bears have been hunted, culminating in a record 722 kills last year.

This year, licenses have been issued to hunt 486 bears and an undetermined number more may be hunted where the bears are judged to be a threat to farm animals.

In November 2022, a new law gave local hunting associations more power to oversee the management of large predators, including bears.

In recent years, hundreds of wolves and lynxes have also been killed, raising concerns among environmentalists.

Conservationists argue that ecotourism can bring in more revenue than hunting licenses.

Magnus Rydholm, director of communications for the Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management, said that “we are only following the directive of the Swedish government's wildlife policy. It's all about a balance between humans and large predators. That's why the bear hunt starts tomorrow."

But some hunters have expressed concern about dwindling brown bear numbers.

Anders Nilsson, a hunter in Norrland, northern Sweden, said "there are those within the hunting community who worry about killing too many bears."

If hunters continue to kill bears at a similar rate next year, the country will be just one annual hunt away from the minimum number of 1,400 considered necessary by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency to maintain a sustainable population. .

Brown bears are a "strictly protected species" in Europe and conservationists argue that high hunting quotas are in breach of the EU's habitat directive, which states that "deliberate hunting or killing of strictly protected species is forbidden".

Under EU rules, this ban can be lifted as a "last resort" to protect public safety, crops or natural flora and fauna.

Researchers are concerned that the brown bear is going the same way as the apple population in Sweden, says Orrebrant, which has declined by 60% since the turn of the last century.

Conservationists argue that a larger bear population would make Sweden a more attractive destination for eco-tourism, which would bring in more revenue than selling hunting licenses./ "The Guardian"