Govind Tekale
After pressure from some countries and lobbies in the livestock and hunting sectors, the European Union countries backed on Wednesday the initiative to reduce the protection status of the wolf from “strictly protected” to only “protected,” in line with the proposal from the European Commission. Spain and Ireland were the only ones to vote against the proposal, while Slovakia, Cyprus, Belgium, and Malta abstained. The twenty-seven have approved with a solid majority the proposal to make the management of the species’ populations in Europe more flexible and, therefore, their hunting.
The Commission decided to propose lowering the protection status of the wolf last December after gathering “recently collected data on wolf populations” that indicated they have “increased considerably” in the last two decades. The latest report points to around 20,000 wolves throughout the EU, 900 more than were detected in 2022. There are specimens in all member countries, except Ireland, Cyprus, and Malta. Brussels argues that its proposal “is based on a thorough analysis” of the current situation and the data obtained, as well as reports that show “growing conflicts” of the wolf with “human activities.”.
When it presented the proposal last year, Brussels argued that the wolf’s protection status was adopted in 1979—under the international Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats—taking into account the scientific data available at the time of the negotiations. A spokesperson celebrated for the European Commission stating that adapting the protection status will be an important step in addressing the challenges posed by the increase in wolf populations while maintaining the overall objective of achieving and maintaining a favorable conservation status for the species..
This Thursday, the decision will be definitively approved in the EU Council. Later, it will be presented to the Bern Convention Permanent Committee, the international forum where the reduction in the wolf’s protection status would eventually be decided, provided the necessary majority is achieved at a meeting scheduled for the first days of December. It requires the majority of the 50 signatory states of the Bern Convention, a key international treaty for the protection of Europe’s fauna, flora, and natural habitats, which has just celebrated its 45th anniversary.
In the oral presentation by the Commission at that meeting, the Executive will argue that the status change refers “to the wolf and only the wolf” to avoid opening the “Pandora’s box” of other animals under debate, such as bears or beavers. If this happens, the European Commission will have to propose a modification of the European Habitats Directive that would subsequently have to be adopted by both the European Parliament and the EU governments.
The change proposed by the Commission has been approved at a meeting at the ambassadorial level. The decisive vote has been that of Germany, which has changed its abstention for a vote in favor of reducing the level of protection of the wolf. Germany asked during the ambassadors’ meeting that a “recital” be included in the text specifying that the proposal refers exclusively to the wolf and that the status of other animals cannot be changed. In addition, it has specified that the future coexistence between the wolf and grazing must be guaranteed.
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Countries that have voted “unambiguously” in favor of the proposal, such as France or Italy, argue that the modification only provides “additional flexibility” that will allow the most difficult cases of wolf-community coexistence to be addressed in those states that need it. This does not exclude that Member States can maintain stricter standards if they so wish.
According to the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive, if a species is “protected,” its hunting can be authorized, taking into account the conservation of the populations, while hunting is practically prohibited with the classification of “strictly protected.” Brussels stated in December that the hunting of a species of this type must be carefully regulated by the Member States, as they remain obliged to ensure that the favorable conservation status is achieved and maintained for the populations in their biogeographic regions.
In a letter signed by more than 300 civil organizations, including WWF, BirdLife, and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), they defended that the wolf must remain under “strict” protection according to current scientific evidence, as its populations are still “far” from being “good and viable” despite the “notable recovery” observed. Diplomatic sources opposed to the status change told EFE that currently there is no up-to-date scientific data, the latest being from 2019, and next year we will have an updated census.
Environmental organizations describe the decision as political and even populist instead of being based on scientific criteria. Its detractors fear that this maneuver will open the door to future revisions of other protected species, such as the bear or the beaver.They believe this decision not only undermines decades of conservation efforts but also represents a significant setback to what had been hailed as one of the EU’s greatest conservation successes: the return of the wolf after its near-extinction. Organizations such as WWF, Client Earth, or BirdLife have lamented in a joint statement.
The socialist MEP César Luena considers the decision a clear “mistake.” He considers that the data and science defend maintaining the current protection status and its coexistence measures, the socialist, a member of the Environment Committee, has recalled. WWF’s biodiversity chief, Sabien Leemans, stated that the decision to lower the protection status of the wolf sends a disastrous and shameful signal from Europe just weeks before the crucial COP 16 Biodiversity Convention. How can anyone ask other regions to protect their biodiversity and coexist with species like tigers, lions, or elephants if they are not capable of living with the wolf? He feels they are sending a shameful message, of preaching to the world about conservatism while dismantling one of our greatest successes in the matter in decades.
Spain has voted against the reduction. The government argues that the conflicts have increased especially where the measures to prevent attacks on livestock have not been implemented, which in the case of Spain are included in the strategy for the conservation and coexistence with the activities of the rural environment. The idea is that the control of specific specimens was already contemplated in Spain by allowing the shooting of specific wolves. However, the “unfavorable” classification of wolves adopted in 2019 as the extension of protection caused the confrontation of several regional governments (Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, or Castilla y León) pressed by the livestock sector against the central government.
European justice recently endorsed the ban on hunting wolves until they are in good conservation status. The judges consider that these animals can only be killed if a specimen has caused serious damage, the population is in a favorable conservation status, and there is no other satisfactory solution.
