Finland's bear population has grown at a rate of 10-20 percent in recent years, according to estimates provided by Natural Resources Institute Finland (acronymed in Finnish as Luke).
The institute's figures put the current number of bears in Finland at about 2,400.
The population had dropped to between 1,740 and 1,925 in 2022, which itself was a decline of about 20 percent on 2021.
This drop came as a result of Finnish authorities gradually increasing hunting quotas, but a reversal of that policy in 2022 has led to the numbers rising again.
In its report, Luke says it expects the bear population to continue to flourish in the coming years.
This year, for the first time, the institute used a new population model for estimating bear numbers.
Luke's Programme Director Katja Holmala explained in a press release that the new model takes into account the bear's reproductive biology, longevity and a more extensive database than was previously used. It also combines observation data accumulated since 2004 as well as the age and gender distribution of hunting prey.
The previous population model was based only on litter observations from the year being analysed.
Holmala added that the new model is still in its developmental phase, but the institute plans to continue to improve and use it to ensure its reliability.
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