BC Conservation Data Centre: Conservation Status Report
Gulo gulo
Wolverine
| Scientific Name: | Gulo gulo |
|---|---|
| English Name: | Wolverine |
| Provincial Status Summary | |
| Status: | S3 |
| Date Status Assigned: | June 30, 1998 |
| Date Last Reviewed: | March 14, 2025 |
| Reasons: | Wolverines occur throughout BC; however, they have never been present on Haida Gwaii and are likely extirpated from Vancouver Island. Significant threats included roads, recreation and climate change. Some populations have experienced declines. |
| Range | |
| Range Extent: | G = 200,000-2,500,000 square km |
| Range Extent Comments: | Wolverines occur throughout British Columbia although they are rare in the populated lower mainland and in the Okanagan (Lofroth and Krebs 2007) and densities decline when moving from north to south (Lofroth and Krebs 2007; Mowat et al. 2020). They never occurred on Haida Gwaii (Lofroth and Krebs 2007) and the last confirmed wolverine on Vancouver Island was reported in 1992 (Cannings et al. 1999). However, wolverine detections continue to occur on larger islands in the central coast of the province (Shardlow 2013; ?iNaturalist?). |
| Area of Occupancy (km2): | U = Unknown |
| Occurrences & Population | |
| Number of Occurrences: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Comments: | It is difficult to define an occurrence for Wolverines, because each individual has a large, independent home range (Lofroth and Krebs, pers. comm.) The Element Occurrence concept for mammals with large home ranges does not always best represent the rarity category as used when calculating the status rank using NatureServe methods. In the case of Wolverine, population size will be factored within the rarity category, which will contribute to the overall status rank. |
| Number of Occurrences with Good Viability / Ecological Integrity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Number of Occurrences Appropriately Protected & Managed: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Population Size: | D = 1,000 - 2,500 individuals |
| Comments: | Lofroth and Krebs (2007) estimated mean wolverine abundance at 3,530 wolverines (95% CI 2700-4760) for the entire province of British Columbia (BC). Approximately half of a wolverine population can be considered reproductive-age adults (Scrafford et al. 2024), a common metric used in conservation status ranking, translating to 1765 adults. This estimate was derived by extrapolating results from two mark-recapture studies in high quality habitat in the Southern Interior Mountains and Sub-Boreal Interior ecoprovinces (Demarchi 2011) to all other wolverine habitat of the province, with different habitat quality rankings, incorporating expert judgement. Since then, several studies have continued to examine population densities (Nietvelt and Rochetta 2016; Weir 2018; Mowat et al. 2020; Scrafford et al. 2024; Barrueto 2025). In summary, updated wolverine densities over two large areas of high-quality habitat in the Southern Interior Mountains ecoprovince were considerably lower than predicted. Density estimates from three small study areas in the Coast and Mountains and Boreal Plains ecoprovinces ranked as containing low or moderate quality wolverine habitat, matched or surpassed predictions for those areas. Therefore, the Lofroth and Krebs (2007) province-wide population size estimate was most likely higher than the current (year 2025) wolverine population size. |
| Threats (to population, occurrences, or area affected) | |
| Degree of Threat: | C = Medium |
| Comments: | A threats assessment was conducted in February of 2025, resulting in an overall impact score of Medium (Heim et al. 2025). Significant threats to Wolverine included roads, recreation and climate change. Roads diminish the quality of wolverine habitat, are a source of mortality and influence survivorship (Austin 1998, Krebs et al. 2004). Increased density of roads in logged areas leads to lower occupancy and density (Kortello et al. 2019, Mowet et al. 2020), habitat avoidance (Scrafford et al. 2018), disturbance and mortality from road kill and increased access for trapping and recreation. A recent study in southwest BC showed that the negative impact of recreational activities on wolverine density is comparable in magnitude to the effect of road density (Barrueto 2025). This suggests that recreational disturbances could potentially influence wolverine populations over time, particularly in areas where recreation overlaps with suitable denning habitats (Heinemeyer et al. 2019; Hausleitner et al. 2024). Climate projections suggest shortened winter season length and overall snow depth in wolverine range in coming years (Fisher et al. 2022), resulting in loss of denning habitat and potential to alter caching behaviour / ability (e.g. van der Veen et al. 2020; Hausletiner et al. 2024) |
| Trend (in population, range, area occupied, and/or condition of occurrences) | |
| Short-Term Trend: | EG = Decline of <50% to Relatively Stable |
| Comments: |
Between 2012 and 2020, several studies estimated wolverine density across parts of the Columbia Mountains and Canadian Rocky Mountains (Southern Interior ecoprovince). Densities were generally lower than expected based on habitat models (Lofroth and Krebs 2007) and compared to other populations in North America, suggesting that they were declining or had already declined (Mowat et al. 2020). Harvest was found to be unsustainable in the Kootenay Region of southern BC, most likely directly contributing to the population declines (Mowat et al. 2020; Barrueto et al. 2022). Harvest rates were not measured anywhere else in the province. Other human factors, especially road density and recreation intensity, were also associated with lower densities (Mowat et al. 2020; Barrueto 2025). Population trends were assessed quantitatively in three studies: Within a sampling area of approximately 15,000 kmē in the Canadian Rockies (Southern Interior Mountains), spanning parts of Alberta and centered around several protected areas, wolverine winter density and occupancy experienced a 39 percent decline over a decade (2011 to 2020; Barrueto et al. 2022). Additionally, summer occupancy dropped by 47 percent over a nine-year period (Barrueto et al. 2022). Further, the 7,000 km2 Columbia study area (Southern Interior Mountains) in Lofroth and Krebs (2007), which was sampled from 1995 to 1998, was re-sampled from 2018 to 2020. There was no significant change in predicted mean density between the initial estimate at 5.8 wolverines /1,000 km2 (SE = 1.1) and the recent density estimate at 5.6 /1,000 km2 (95 % C.I. = 4.3 -7.3). Of note, the 7,000 km2 area had some of the highest wolverine densities in all of the Columbia Mountains, and the stable population trend there might not be representative of the wider mountain range (Barrueto 2025). The Rainbow Lake population located in 2,268 km2 of Boreal Plains forest habitat in NW AB/NE BC was declining (Scrafford et al. 2024). To determine whether the population is stable or declining across the remainder of the province, it will be necessary to gather baseline data and conduct repeat inventories. Numerous human activities associated with reduced densities and observed population declines; such as wolverine harvest, resource road development, and recreational activities, are prevalent throughout the province but are inadequately monitored or not monitored at all. |
| Long-Term Trend: | U = Unknown |
| Other Factors | |
| Intrinsic Vulnerability: | B=Moderately vulnerable |
| Comments: | Low reproductive rates (<1 kit/female/year; Krebs et al 2004) and low population densities (estimated at 6.2/1000km2 in high quality habitat; Lofroth and Krebs 2007) limit the species' population growth potential. |
| Environmental Specificity: | Rank Factor not assessed |
| Other Rank Considerations: | |
| Information Gaps | |
| Research Needs: | |
| Inventory Needs: | |
| Stewardship | |
| Protection: | |
| Management: | |
| Version | |
| Author: | N. Heim, D. Hausleitner, M. Barrueto and A.Kortello (2025) |
| Date: | March 14, 2025 |
| References | |
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Wolverine winter travel routes and response to transportation corridors in Kicking Horse Pass between Yoho and Banff National Parks. Unpubl. Thesis. Faculty of Environ. Design, Univ. Calgary. Calgary, AB. 40pp.
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Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for information on how the CDC determines conservation status ranks. For global conservation status reports and ranks, please visit the NatureServe website http://www.natureserve.org/.
Suggested Citation:
B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 2025. Conservation Status Report: Gulo gulo. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Jun 17, 2026).