It feels like the wolf is at the door for a long time. It’s back, pacing and pausing, this month, according to a report by Vashti Symeonakis of Manchester Metropolitan University. They found that the Highlands of Scotland could be reintroduced if the habitat is available.
We often place the wolf at the top of our list when it comes to rewilding. It holds us in a way that other less charismatic, totemic species don’t.
It is as if this species tells us something about our relationship with the natural world. The wolf occupies an unusual position that the lynx, beaver, and lynx don’t as a threat, rival, and familiar echo of our dog companion, the dog. The wolf is a symbol for wildness and loss, particularly in these times of biodiversity crises. However, all of that is not enough evidence to support reintroduction. These studies are what make that possible.
Gwynn & Symeonakis write that there is increasing evidence that apex prey can provide a range ecological benefits. Most of these benefits stem from the reduction in deer overgrazing, something which has been a problem for Scotland.
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This study aims to create a rule-based habitat suitability system for wolves on Scotland’s mainland. We use existing literature to identify the most relevant variables such as prey density, road density, human density, and land cover. We then determine thresholds for each variable.
Their modeling shows that an area of between 10.139km2 to 18,857km2 is 80 to 100 percent suitable and could support between 50 to 94 packs.
Many rural workers and residents may feel a chill from these numbers. There are 94 packs of four wolves. It seems like a lot more than the single pack of four wolves that was released in Yellowstone Park, 1995. This led to the much-cited transformation that is often used as a case for predator introduction. Yellowstone is home to 94 wolves. There are so-called trophic caskades, in which an extreme predator suppresses or changes the behavior and abundance of their prey, altering the whole ecoystem.
The economic arguments for wolf reintroduction are also mentioned in the Symeonakis-Gwynn study. These arguments include tourism and the idea that wolves could remove the economic burden from the deer cull. These arguments are becoming more convincing, especially considering the growing evidence that deer populations must be reduced if we want to restore Scotland’s forest and carbon sink. Nilsen et.al. Nilsen et al. predict that deer densities in Scotland would drop to 7/km2 if wolves were absent for 60 years. Some areas could see a reduction of >50%. This is in line the Deer Commission for Scotland’s target of 6/km2.
However, rural workers still suffer a lot. The presence of humans is an important part of habitat. Can we talk about wolves without mentioning them?
According to a 2007 study, rural respondents felt less positive about their lives than urban ones. The negative attitudes of sub-sample farmers explains the lower score for rural residents.
NatureScot has stated that they have no plans to reconsider the wolf’s return. Reintroductions are complex and require careful planning.
But it is a constant call. It is a call that is heard so often and supported by significant landowner backing. Reintroductions of species are like stepping stones. Many people are skeptical of the lynx, which is also being considered for reintroduction. They know that the wolf could be next.
The real question is how rural sceptics can be persuaded by such calls. After all, it is those who live and work on the land who will have to encounter the wolf at their doors. It is unlikely that the wider rural community will be recruited using another set of figures or graphs.
Roy Dennis, a pioneer in reintroduction, was a great example of how to convince locals. You must be able show the locals that you can do it correctly. Farmers, landowners, foresters and other workers should be treated with respect …. Do you think we will see wolves back at Scotland someday soon or ever? I’m not sure. They cannot walk here, unlike in other European countries. We have to intervene if they want us to.
