Summary Review of
1st International Symposium
on
Wolverine Research & Management

Jokkmokk, Sweden - June 13-15, 2005

The 1^st International Symposium on Wolverine Research and Management, in Jokkmokk, Sweden, drew 155 participants representing 11 countries. The 3-day symposium integrated 9 sessions, including a poster session, with presentations on 47 individual papers and 20 posters. Presentations included results and updates from current research and monitoring efforts in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, China, Canada, and the United States.

Symposium participants were especially pleased to have researchers from Russia, China, and Finland in attendance because of the general lack of knowledge about wolverines in these regions. Russian researchers Boris Novikov, Igor Tumanov, and Vladimir Kozhechkin reported wolverine population estimates that were higher than expected, but also reported areas where the wolverine has become extirpated. Minghai Zhang from China presented evidence of wolverines in the Great Khingan mountains of China and suggested research to determine if wolverine inhabit the Altai Mountain range of western China - an area heretofore unrecognized as within the wolverine's Eurasian distribution. During his presentation on the status of wolverine in Finland, Ilpo Kojola made casual mention, to the surprise of many, of a wolverine translocation that had occurred in Finland a number of years ago. Several areas in North America are being considered for wolverine reintroductions and, as far as anyone was aware, such an effort had never been attempted previously.

North American attendees were also surprised to learn about the level of depredation by wolverine upon semi-domestic reindeer in Sweden, and especially upon domestic sheep in Norway, with a reported depredation estimate of over 10,000 sheep annually. Lars-Anders Baer, member of the Sámi parliament, represented the perspective of the indigenous Sámi reindeer herders, and the challenges of maintaining their lifestyle and economic livelihood in the face of increasing depredation.

The symposium certainly drew attention to the contrasting management status of Old World versus New World wolverine. The symposium concluded with an inspiring closing keynote presentation by Jon Swenson entitled, "The fourth bear cub: perspectives on wolverine research from a bear researcher."

Following the symposium, approximately 30 attendees traveled to Årrenjarka to participate in a workshop to develop an international wolverine action plan that will be submitted to the International Union of Conservation and Nature (IUCN) as a contribution to the Mid-Size Carnivore Species Specialist Group. The aim of the workshop was to address two primary questions:

1. What aspects of wolverine biology will prove to be imperative for future conservation?
2. How can present or imminent limiting factors and threats be approached in future conservation practices?

Following the workshop, participants traveled into the Sarek wolverine study area for two days of hiking and tours of wolverine denning habitat. The group participated in the post-capture processing of a wolverine and a brown bear, along with long hours of informal camaraderie with fellow wolverine researchers under the midnight sun of northern Sweden.