Climate change is driving wolverines to higher elevations and northern latitudes, creating novel welfare challenges as they occupy new territories.
Wolverine welfare under climate change involves both loss of existing habitat and challenges in newly colonized areas. Animals shifting to higher elevations face territorial conflict with existing residents, novel prey communities, and terrain challenges. Range compression means higher population density in shrinking suitable habitat, increasing intraspecific competition for food and territory. Young dispersing animals that historically found vacant territories increasingly encounter occupied areas, facing higher conflict mortality. Each of these represents a welfare cost imposed by climate-driven habitat change. Protecting high-elevation refugia through wilderness designation provides the most important welfare protection for climate-stressed wolverine populations.