Background The wolverine is the largest terrestrial member of the mustelid family, and is frequently characterized as one of the northern hemisphere’s least-known large carnivores. This is primarily due to difficulties in studying animals occupying large home ranges, living at low population densities with a solitary lifestyle, and a distribution primarily restricted to remote and harsh environments in the north. The wolverine is relatively scarce across its circumpolar range, with status ranging from secure to endangered and possibly extinct. There are conservation and management concerns in most areas where the wolverine occurs. Previously pristine areas within wolverine range are increasingly being opened up to resource extraction and in some areas wolverines are living in conflict with sheep and reindeer husbandry. The latter is especially pronounced in Scandinavia, where sheep and reindeer husbandry suffers from heavy predation by wolverines and and other carnivores such as Eurasian lynx, brown bear, wolf, and golden eagle. Thus, the main conservation problem in Sweden is the conflict between wolverine and reindeer husbandry. Effective management and conservation plans with a strong scientific basis are therefore essential, but there is still relatively little information available on the ecology of wolverines. However, in recent years an increasing volume of information about wolverine ecology has been collected within difference research projects in Scandinavia and North America. Under the links below you will find summarized information about wolverine ecology, gained from our project and relevant references from other projects.
