There have been conflicts between pro and anti wolf factions, with an activists' camp being attacked destroyed in the early hours of the morning. Norway is a signatory to the Bern Convention, which protects the wolf as an endangered species. The wolf population in Norway is inseparable from the Swedish population, and in 1998 both countries entered into a joint management plan for wolves, which aims to protect and encourage the wolf population in Scandinavia. The Swedish Environment Ministry is understood not to support the culling, and remains determined to establish a healthy Scandinavian wolf population. Wolves were on the verge of extinction in Sweden in the early 1980's, and numbers remained low until the 1990's when recovery was boosted by formulation of the management plan, and wolves bred in Norway for the first time in 50 years.
Many scientists believe that a viable population needs at least one hundred wolves.
The Norwegian government claims to have spent over 1 million on measures to prevent livestock predation by wolves. In 2000 the government paid out compensation for around 425 sheep killed by wolves. The cost of the hunt is estimated at around 160,000. It is acknowledged that effective removal of an entire pack of wolves is likely to be difficult, due to their elusive nature. There is a risk that young, inexperienced wolves will be left to fend for themselves, which may result in increased livestock loss, as the wolves turn to an easier source of prey than their staple, elk.