Finland plans to ease bear hunting restrictions

Finland’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is drafting a regulation to allow bear hunting nationwide without individual exemptions, setting annual regional quotas instead.

The move follows a freeze on hunting outside reindeer herding areas since 2023 due to unresolved legal challenges. During this period, bear encounters in residential areas, fields, and bee farms have increased.

Research professor emeritus Ilpo Kojola of the Natural Resources Institute Finland said the impact on the bear population depends on the size of the quotas. He noted that selective hunting could reduce human-bear conflicts if hunters target bolder individuals, though the overall behavioral effects remain uncertain.

Kojola also warned that unmanaged conflicts risk eroding public tolerance for bears, citing Romania’s experience where fatal attacks have damaged the species’ reputation. He stressed, however, that Finland’s bear density is far lower.

Reija Laurila, vice chair of the conservation group Tapiola, questioned whether the plan complies with the EU Habitats Directive, which permits exceptions to strict species protection only under specific, case-by-case conditions. The ministry argues the directive allows quota-based hunting, supported by a recent Supreme Administrative Court ruling that upheld 15 bear culling permits in the Joensuu region last year.

Tapiola’s local branches have previously challenged exemption permits. With the new system unlikely to be in place before the August hunting season, non-reindeer herding areas will still rely on exemptions. Laurila said the group will review the legal grounds for any new permits before deciding on further appeals.