Legitimacy Issues in Finnish Wolf Conservation

Abstract

The legislation enacted on wolf conservation in Finland has had a number of societal, ecological and economic implications. As the number of wolves has increased, so have the conflicts over the management of the wolf population. The debate has been heated ever since Finland joined the European Union and was committed to the Habitats Directive and the conservation goals it entailed. Despite the strict legislation on wolf conservation, the number of wolves has started to drop off again as a result of illegal hunting. The conflict situation, as well as the illegal hunting, indicates that there is a lack of legitimacy in wolf conservation. This article aims at analysing these legitimacy issues in Finnish wolf conservation by using the concept of total legitimacy as an analytical tool. The aim is both to reveal the legitimacy problems in conservation and to assess whether the concept of total legitimacy is a useful tool in analysing the legitimacy of nature conservation regulation and governance. In addition, different regulatory instruments and their potential for enhancing the legitimacy and effectiveness of wolf conservation are assessed.

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