Thematic cartography Day 11 · Arctic
A fragile range
Arctic Fox Territory
A polar map of the arctic fox’s range, and of the critically endangered population in Fennoscandia.
A closer look
Arctic foxes thrive across much of the northern tundra, but in Fennoscandia they remain critically endangered.
Extensive hunting for their fur in the early 20th century reduced the population sharply. Although the species is now protected in Norway, Sweden, and Finland, it struggled to recover, and by the early 2000s only about 100 individuals remained.
Today the main threat is the larger red fox, which is moving into the arctic fox’s habitat as the climate warms. Conservation work has helped the population recover to around 450 adults since 2001, but it is still critically endangered.