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Beyond 2000:
Realities of Global Wolf Restoration
23-26 February 2000
Duluth, Minnesota USA
J. Henry Fair
Christoph Promberger (left), IUCN
Wolf Specialist, Germany.
Christoph Promberger, Annette Mertens, Peter Suerth, Barbara
Promberger-Fuerpass, Munich Wildlife Society, Linderhof 2, D-82488
Ettal, Germany
We have collected data on the economic impact of large carnivores,
wolves (Canis lupus), brown bears (Ursus arctos),
and European lynx (Lynx lynx), upon the local human population
in the Romanian Carpathians. This 70,000 sq km mountain range is
home of the biggest remaining populations of large carnivores in
Europe west of Russia. At the same time, there are app. 5 million
people in and around these mountains. The local economy, especially
after the fall of communism, is to a high degree based on agricultural
activities. Several millions of sheep are brought each summer into
the alpine pastures and kept there for cheese, wool, and meat production.
Due to the permanent presence of all three European large carnivore
species, people in rural Romania have kept the tradition of guarding
their stock against predators with shepherds and guarding dogs.
Wildlife management has been strongly influenced by the trophy-hunting
spree of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu during the 70ies and
80ies. Especially bears have been a valuable trophy and nowadays,
trophy hunting continues to play an important aspect in wildlife
management decisions. A large bear shot by a foreign trophy hunter
might bring up to US $20,000.
As part of the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project, a research
and conservation project on large carnivores in the southeastern
Carpathians, we have developed an eco-tourism program on large carnivores
to demonstrate, that large carnivores can bring substantial income
for the local economy.
This presentation summarizes the economic dimension of large carnivores
for the local community. Costs emerge from guarding livestock and
direct losses of sheep and cows to wolves and bears. Furthermore,
bait sites for trophy hunting and game wardens for preparation of
trophy hunting and anti-poacher control cost money. Income is created
through the revenues from bear hunting and the benefits of eco-tourism
for local pensions, guides, transport, and other services.
In 1998, costs still slightly exceeded revenues in our study area.
Due to the growth of our eco-tourism program, revenues from eco-tourism
exceeded the costs of having large carnivores in the area for the
first time in 1999. Prospects of eco-tourism activities let us believe,
that large carnivores will have a significant positive economic
input on a community base in the years to come.
Our eco-tourism program has also created strong local interest
for large carnivores and a better awareness for wolves, bears, and
lynx.
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