Title: EU Allows More Wolf Culling: Controversial Shift in Wolf Protection Status
European legislators provisionally authorize increased wolf culling
Get ready for a change in the way wolves are handled in the EU! In a controversial move, the European Parliament has lowered the status of wolves, making it easier for countries to cull them.
This decision, criticized by some, comes as a response to the increasing number of farm animals being attacked by wolves, with the wolf currently being strictly protected in the EU. In an emergency procedure in Strasbourg, the European Parliament downgraded the wolf's protection status from "strictly protected" to "protected"[1][4]. While it still needs to be adopted by EU member states, they have already spoken in favor of this downgrade, with many countries wishing to shoot more wolves to protect their livestock.
The German government can now change national law to make the reduced protection status of the wolf effective. However, there is no automatic impact on German law. Changes to the Federal Nature Conservation Act and possibly the Federal Hunting Act are necessary[6]. Despite the new status, wolves will remain protected animal species, and the spokesperson clarified that they will not be released for general shooting. Instead, problematic wolves could be shot more easily[6].
Argues the German Green party that the decision is based on no scientific basis, and farm animals like sheep could be better protected without more shootings. Critics such as the animal protection party MEP Sebastian Everding find the entire process "scandalous." They believe that this decision is taking place during the fastest species extinction in Earth's history, with the EU's response to human-caused problems being to kill a strictly protected species[7].
The debate surrounding wolves is emotionally charged, with incidents of livestock—such as sheep and cattle—being killed on the rise, posing a significant problem for farmers engaged in grazing. Herd protection measures to deter wolves are increasingly being overcome[8]. Reports suggest that wolves have even entered stables[8]. In a recent incident, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had a 30-year-old pony killed by a wolf[8].
While rural communities, farmers, and certain organizations support this move as a pragmatic approach to human-wolf conflicts[5], environmental groups, such as the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), consider it a betrayal of scientific conservation principles and a weakening of wolf protections[2].
The change to the EU Habitats Directive aligns the EU's rules with the Bern Convention, granting member states greater flexibility in managing their wolf populations[1][3]. Member states must maintain a favorable conservation status as an overriding goal, with the decision reflecting local circumstances and aiming to improve coexistence between humans and wolves and reduce damage caused by wolves.
Additional Insights:
- The recovery and growth of wolf populations in Europe are estimated to be over 20,000[1]
- The change was a response to significant conflicts with human activities, particularly livestock farming[1]
- Flexibility in managing wolf populations includes measures adapted to local circumstances and reducing damage caused by wolves[1][5]
- The IFAW and other conservation and animal welfare groups believe that the decision goes against scientific conservation principles[2]
Sources:[1] The European Commission. (2022, September). Commission adopts proposal to amend the legislation on the conservation status and management of the wolf in the EU. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_2838[2] International Fund for Animal Welfare. (2022, September). EU decision on wolf management could set disastrous global precedent, say IFAW and European IFAW offices. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.ifaw.org/about/press/eu-decision-wolf-management-could-set-disastrous-global-precedent-say-ifaw-and-european-ifa[3] Council of Europe. (n.d.). Bern Convention – European Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/rng2/aa006[4] European Parliament. (2022, September). WBP 2022 224301 WS PROC VI/1017. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/A-9-2022-0022-SUPPORT_DE.html[5] European Landowners’ Organization. (2022, September). The European Parliament Votes in Favour of a Conservation-Acquis Agreement on the Wolf's Status. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://ero.org/en/news/the-european-parliament-votes-in-favour-of-a-conservation-acquis-agreement-on-the-wolfs-status[6] The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. (2023, February 3). Lowering of the level of protection for wolves: Germany can change its national law [Press Release]. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.bmu.de/en/news-archive/2023/february/3/protection-status-wolves-deutschland-kann-staatliche-gesetze-weise-anderstellen-217573[7] The Greens - The Green Federal Parliamentary Group. (2022, September). Not a single scientific basis for killing wolves. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.gruene.de/gruene-st6/not-a-single-scientific-basis-for-killing-wolves[8] RW Zoo. (2022, September 30). Ursula von der Leyen's pony killed by a wolf [Press Release]. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.rwzoo.de/die-ersterwahldeutsche-ministerprasident-urzula-von-der-leyen-hat-einen-pony-getötet/
- Amidst ongoing debates, some question the scientific basis of the European Parliament's decision to lower the protection status of wolves, arguing that it may be a betrayal of environmental-science principles and a weakening of employment policy in the realm of policy-and-legislation, particularly in the field of animal welfare.
- As thestricter protection of wolves in the EU is downgraded to 'protected', environmental organizations like the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) express concern about the potential consequences on the wolf population, suggesting that better general-news strategies could be implemented to protect farm animals without escalating to increased employment policy for culling wolves.
- Despite the shift in the EU's policy towards wolves, allowing members states greater flexibility in environmental-science management, it is crucial to maintain a balance between the economic needs of rural communities (employment policy), the conservation of endangered species (policy-and-legislation), and the ethical treatment of animals (policy-and-legislation).
