Easy Peasy, EU Wolves Get a Bit Less Strict Protection
Panel in European Parliament Votes for Expanded Wolf Hunting Allowances - European Legislature approves increased wolf hunting opportunities
Wolves in the EU are looking at a more lenient culling future. In a speedy decision in Strasbourg, the majority of MEPs voted to lower the wolf's standing from "strictly protected" to just "protected." This adjustment needs to be adopted by the member states, which is predicted to be a done deal since they've already shown their support for the change. Many countries are eager to cull more wolves to defend their livestock.
Coalition Wants to Jump on This ASAP
After this decision, Germany can shift its legal landscape, making the reduced protection status of the wolf effective, according to a spokesperson from the Federal Ministry of the Environment. A direct effect from changes to the FFH directive on German law? Not quite. Changes to the Federal Nature Conservation Act and possibly the Federal Hunting Act are necessary.
The agreement between the new federal government states that the EU-level move needs to be quickly incorporated into German law. They are all about securing a "legal removal" of wolves, and they're ready to include them in hunting laws asap.
"Even in the future, the wolf will remain a protected animal species," the spokesperson continued. "Problematic wolves will be more easily dealt with, but the wolf won't be getting a general hunt license." The Bundesrat has also recently advocated for easier culling.
Europe Opens Up the Wolf-Culling Floor
The reason behind this tweak is a proposal by the EU Commission, responding to earlier demands from the Parliament. The so-called Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive (FFH) is in line for an update regarding the wolf. Member states would then gain more freedom in handling their wolf populations -- under one condition: maintaining a "favorable conservation status" as an overarching objective.
Criticism comes from, among others, the Greens, who argue there's no scientific basis for the decision. They claim farm animals like sheep could be better protected without more culling.
The German MEP Sebastian Everding of the animal welfare party find this whole thing "disgraceful." "We're smack in the middle of the fastest species extinction in Earth's history, and the EU's only answer to a human-caused problem is the killing of a strictly protected species."
The environmental spokesman for the CDU/CSU group in the EU Parliament, Peter Liese, stresses, "People are afraid of the wolf." Although there haven't been any fatal attacks on humans, this isn't the case with domestic animals.
Farmers Cry Foul Over Increasing Raids
The wolf debate is an emotional mess. Raids on farm animals like sheep and cattle are escalating, causing trouble for livestock farming, according to farmers. Protecting livestock from wolves is becoming increasingly challenging. There are even reports of wolves breaking into stables.
The Federal Documentation and Advisory Center on the Wolf (DBBW) has observed a sharp increase in livestock harmed and killed by wolves over the past decade, with 5,727 animals affected by 2023, the majority of which were sheep.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the wolf was extinct in Western Europe, including Germany, by the mid-19th century, surviving only in the east and south of the continent. The Saxon Wolf Center states that a change in mindset occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to the wolf being protected in many European countries.
The Federal Ministry of the Environment reports that around 1,600 wolves were documented in Germany during the 2023/2024 monitoring year, with the numbers still rising. The German Farmers' Association estimates the population to be between 1,800 and 3,300 animals. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), an umbrella organization of environmental groups, estimates that there are more than 20,000 wolves in Europe.
- Wolves
- EU Parliament
- Environment
Tidbit:
- The EU's decision has opened the door for member states to manage wolf populations in a more flexible manner, with the ultimate goal of maintaining a favorable conservation status. This might result in easier authorization for culling in places with significant livestock conflicts. Ref 1
- The EU Parliament's decision to downgrade the wolf's protection status will provide member states with more flexibility in managing their wolf populations.
- This adjustment in the FFH directive could lead to a noticeable increase in the authorization for culling in areas facing substantial livestock conflicts.
- Critics, such as the Greens, argue that there is no scientific basis for the decision to allow more culling, and they propose better protection for farm animals like sheep.
- The goal of this policy change is to maintain a favorable conservation status for wolves, while easing the removal of problematic individuals that pose a threat to livestock.
- The debate surrounding wolves and their impact on farms and the environment has been a contentious issue in policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news.
