Europe Weakens Wolf Safeguards with 20,000 Wolves in Sight—Spain and Ireland Stand Firm Against the Vote

Govind Tekale

After pressure from some countries and lobbies in the livestock and hunting sectors, European Union countries on Wednesday backed an initiative to reduce the protection status of wolves from "strictly protected" to "protected," in line with the proposal from the European Commission.

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Spain and Ireland were the only countries to vote against the proposal, while Slovakia, Cyprus, Belgium, and Malta abstained. A solid majority of the 27 EU member states approved the proposal to make the management of wolf populations in Europe more flexible, allowing for regulated hunting.

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The European Commission decided to propose lowering the protection status of the wolf last December, based on "recently collected data on wolf populations" that indicated a "considerable increase" over the past two decades.

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When presenting the proposal last year, Brussels argued that the wolf's protection status had been adopted in 1979 under the international Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, based on scientific data available at the time.

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This Thursday, the decision will be definitively approved by the EU Council. It will then be presented to the Bern Convention Permanent Committee, the international body where the final decision to reduce the wolf's protection status will be made, provided the necessary majority is reached in a meeting scheduled for early December.

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In the oral presentation at that meeting, the European Commission will clarify that the status change pertains "only to the wolf" to avoid opening the "Pandora's box" of debates around other species under protection, such as bears and beavers.

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According to the Bern Convention and the EU Habitats Directive, if a species is classified as "protected," its hunting can be authorized under certain conditions, considering the conservation status of the populations. In contrast, hunting is almost entirely prohibited when a species is classified as "strictly protected."

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In a letter signed by over 300 civil organizations, including WWF, BirdLife, and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the groups argued that wolves should remain under "strict" protection based on current scientific evidence, as their populations are still "far" from being "stable and viable," despite the "notable recovery" observed.

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European courts recently upheld the ban on wolf hunting until their populations reach a good conservation status, reinforcing the need for continued protections.

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