Large carnivore distribution maps for Europe 2017 – 2022/23

Large carnivores have made a remarkable comeback in Europe during the last half century, and recovery is still ongoing in large parts of the continent (Andrén 2018; Boitani 2018; Boitani et al. 2022; Chapron et al. 2014; Huber 2018; Ranc 2018; von Arx 2020). While this expansion can be celebrated as a huge conservation success, it also creates considerable challenges for coexistence in the multi-use landscapes of Europe (Linnell 2013).

Having a common understanding of the distribution, size and trends of large carnivore populations in Europe is one prerequisite for a knowledge-based dialogue in the often heated and highly politicized discussions about future scenarios of large carnivore conservation and management in Europe. Because of the scale at which large carnivores utilize the landscape it is essential to conduct periodic continental scale assessments of their status transcending sub-national and national borders. Assessments at this scale require harmonising diverse datasets that arise from different jurisdictions using different monitoring approaches.

These shapefiles provides the best available overview of brown bear (Ursus arctos), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), wolf (Canis lupus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), and wolverine (Gulo gulo) distributions a continental scale.