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Barrefelt, L.
Populationsutveckling och b„rkraft f”r lodjur i ™sterg”tland
2019  Full Book

Global biological diversity is declining at rates comparable to historic mass extinction events. Despite this, some species are returning to their former ranges, an example being the great carnivores in Europe. After being driven to the verge of extinction, most of today's populations have recovered to a stable level. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) has re-expanded its range in Scandinavia and, after almost 100 years, is once again reproducing in southern Sweden. There are currently about 50-55 individuals in ™sterg”tland county, and many factors implies that their number will continue to grow. By collecting and analysing data from different governmental reports and other sources I have tried to cover the development of ™sterg”tland's lynx population and to calculate the carrying capacity. The calculations are based on ungulate densities and amount of suitable habitat. The results of the study show that ™sterg”tland contains a large amount of connected woodland habitat and high densities of prey, comparable to regions in Europe with high occurrence of lynx. Given these circumstances ™sterg”tland has the capacity to support approximately 80-140 independent individuals. These numbers are twice as large as today's population level and if reached could lead to positive as well as negative consequences for society. The lynx is a known threat to livestock but reports from recent years suggests that lynx attacks on sheep in ™sterg”tland are limited. The effects of the current lynx population on ungulate demographics are also negligible. Although, these effects might increase with a larger lynx population, leading to lower rates of vehicle collisions and less damage in the forestry sector.

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