Monitoring the Alpine wolf population news

Results of monitoring of the Conservation Status of Wolves in Slovenia in 2022/2023

15 May 2024
Slovenia Forest Service

Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning published the results of wolf monitoring in Slovenia in 2022/2023 season.  It is based mainly on noninvasive genetic samples collected from July 2022 to May 2023. A total of 620 non-invasive genetic samples (scats, urine, saliva, samples from natural prey, and hair samples), and some other samples were collected.

For the monitoring season 2022/2023, it is estimated that there were 17 wolf packs in Slovenia and one pack of wolf-domestic dog hybrids. Out of 17 detected packs five have their territory on the border between Slovenia and Croatia, of which two are predominantly in Croatia. In addition, there were 23 wolves outside the territories of confirmed packs (e.g. immigrants, dispersers…).

Results of monitoring of the Conservation Status of Wolves in Slovenia in 2022/2023 - Life Wolfalps EU
Wolf packs and detected immigrants/dispersers in the 2022/2023 monitoring season. Although the territories of wolf pack are drawn on the basis of the sample location of the pack members, they do not represent the exact territory.

Wolf population in Slovenia has been increasing steadily at least since 2010 (the year of first genetic monitoring), until the 2019-2020 season.  In the last decade, wolf population showed a positive dynamic in both abundance and spatial characteristics, but both spatial expansion and abundance growth have slowed down in the last three years. According to the results of monitoring season 2022/2023, there is a stabilization of the population size, which was already observed in the 2020-2021 season. Population growth can be expected to resume if wolves start to spread to other parts of the country where reproductive packs are not currently present.

Results of monitoring of the Conservation Status of Wolves in Slovenia in 2022/2023 - Life Wolfalps EU
Multi-year dynamics of the wolf population in Slovenia. The points are mean population size estimates, the vertical lines indicate a 95% confidence interval.

The conservation status of wolf in Slovenia can be classified as favorable, sincethe wolf population in the country increased by approximately threefold between 2010 and 2020, providing strong rationale for this assessment.

However, the total number of wolves in Slovenia alone is by far too small for the long-term viable population, so it is crucial to maintain connectivity with other Dinaric wolves in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Alpine wolf population in Italy and Austria in order to maintain a favorable conservation status.

Full report is available here (in Slovenian language).