What Norway’s otter recovery can teach us about predator rewilding

Otters (Lutra lutra) were once close to disappearing from Norway. After decades of hunting, the species collapsed across much of its range. Since the 1980s, however, legal protection, cleaner waterways, and broader conservation measures have enabled a steady comeback. Today, the otter’s return is widely seen as a conservation success. 

Otter observations in Norway

But the recovery also reveals the difficult side of predator rewilding. When a predator re‑establishes itself in ecosystems that have changed during its absence, tensions can arise. The otter population has increased at the same time as salmon stocks are declining, many seabird species are struggling, and new industries such as aquaculture have emerged. As a result, human–wildlife conflict has re‑emerged, and stakeholders hold sharply divergent opinions about what the otter’s return means for ecosystems and livelihoods. 

In our paper, we use the Norwegian case to examine the ecological and social dynamics surrounding this recovering semiaquatic mesopredator. We outline:  

• the current status of otter populations in Norway

• their ecological interactions with salmon and seabirds

• the nature and distribution of emerging conflicts

• available and proposed management options

• critical knowledge gaps that must be addressed to promote long term coexistence. 

The broader lesson is straightforward: rewilding is rarely just about bringing a species back. It is about managing the complex social–ecological systems into which that species returns. Recovery is only the first step; coexistence is the real challenge. 

If you want to understand how the return of the otter in Norway can inform reintroduction and recovery efforts for otters and other predators elsewhere, take a look at our paper here. 

This project is financed by the Norwegian Research Council project RePRESS (Nr. 336489).