Data for: Wolverine density distribution reflects past persecution and current management in Scandinavia

After centuries of intense persecution, several large carnivore species in
Europe and North America have experienced a rebound. Today's spatial
configuration of large carnivore populations has likely arisen from the
interplay between their ecological traits and current environmental
conditions, but also from their history of persecution and protection.
Yet, due to the challenge of studying population-level phenomena, we are
rarely able to disentangle and quantify the influence of past and present
factors driving the spatial distribution and density of these
controversial species. Using spatial capture-recapture models and a data
set of 742 genetically identified wolverines Gulo gulo collected over ½
million km2 across their entire range in Norway and Sweden, we identify
landscape-level factors explaining the current population density of
wolverines in the Scandinavian Peninsula. Distance from the relict range
along the Swedish-Norwegian border, where the wolverine population
survived a long history of persecution, remains a key determinant of
wolverine density today. However, regional differences in management and
environmental conditions also played an important role in shaping spatial
patterns in present-day wolverine density. Specifically, we found evidence
of slower recolonization in areas that had set lower wolverine population
goals in terms of the desired number of annual reproductions. Management
of transboundary large carnivore populations at biologically relevant
scales may be inhibited by administrative fragmentation. Yet, as our study
shows, population-level monitoring is an achievable prerequisite for a
comprehensive understanding of the distribution and density of large
carnivores across an increasingly anthropogenic landscape.