Densities of white-tailed eagles have greatly increased in some parts of the range due to conservation efforts. Some threats still remain, notably illegal persecution by gamebird shooting and egg thieves in Scotland. In prime habitat in north Europe, distance between breeding pairs can be only (even as little as locally) such as in Norway, density at one Polish forest were even reported at 6–7 in each square kilometer. In the late 1990s, it was estimated that Russia held as many as 5,000-7,000 pairs, with around 175 pairs in Greenland and almost 3,500 pairs in Europe, led by Norway (1,500+ pairs), European Russia (900-1,100), Poland (180-240), Germany (140-150) and Sweden (100-150). The largest population in Europe is found along the coast of Norway. The Norwegian population in 2008 was claimed to have stood at 9,000–11,000 pairs, much larger than prior estimates, and indeed this may refer to the total number of individuals rather than total breeding pairs. Even in the early 1980s, Norway maintained a population greater than all other European white-tailed eagle populations combined. In isolation, Turkey holds merely 10-30 pairs. Over 500 winter in Japan, mainly Hokkaido, but this island may have only 20 pairs breeding. Strong increases were recorded in Croatia, with no less than 135 breeding pairs estimated in Croatia by 2009, up from only 25–30 in 2007.