Wolves, bears, and lynx in the Romanian Carpathians—a European stronghold and challenge for conservation

J. Henry Fair

Christoph Promberger (left), IUCN Wolf Specialist, Germany.

Christoph Promberger, Barbara Promberger-Fuerpass, Annette Mertens, Munich Wildlife Society, Linderhof 2, D-82488 Ettal, Germany; Ovidiu Ionescu, Avram Sandor, Institutul de Cercetari si Amenajari Silvice, Str. Closca 13, RO-2200 Brasov, Romania

Europe's large carnivores have vanished from most of the continent's surface. Brown bears (Ursus arctos), wolves (Canis lupus), and the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) have survived only in few mountain ranges, often across national borders. The Romanian Carpathians, although only representing less than 1.5% of the European surface west of Russia, are one of the last strongholds for the carnivores. The official estimations are app. 5,000 brown bears, 2,500 wolves, and 1,500 lynx in the 70,000 sqkm Carpathian Mountains of Romania.

Their persistence was more a question of lucky coincidences than of planned management. Especially the trophy hunting sprees of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and the tight control over guns helped conserve the wildlife in one of Europe's most pristine ecosystems. Now, since socio-economic conditions change tremendously, carnivores and their supporting habitat get under increasing pressure. The old system of managing wildlife with trophy hunting being the dominating factor won't work in the future.

To face this challenge, the Munich Wildlife Society together with the Romanian State Forest Administration has initiated the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project in 1994. The project should create a model area for the co-existence between large carnivores and humans and give input for national management plans for bears, wolves, and lynx. Components of the project are research and direct conservation activities such as providing shepherds with electric fences or solving the problem of habituated bears, which feed on garbage bins in the outskirts of cities. An eco-tourism programme "Wolves, Bears, and Lynx in Transylvania" helps to change attitude of locals towards large carnivores by creating economic benefits from their presence and provides financial sustainability for conservation actions. Public awareness work targeting schools, media, and special interest groups supports the activities.

Some of the important outcomes of the project so far are:

• the improvement of the legal situation of wolves in Romania
• the creation of a natural park in the study area for the conservation of large carnivores
• the commitment of the local community for a land-use plan, which takes habitat carnivores into consideration.