The European Commission has presented a proposal for a Council Decision to "adapt the protection status of the wolf" in the European Union by downgrading the current status of a "strictly protected" species to that of a "protected" species under the international Berne Convention on the conservation of wildlife and natural habitat in Europe. In addition to the project to modify the current regulations, the Commission has reiterated its support for the member states to adopt "the necessary measures in the current framework" to "make more flexible" the management of wolf populations in their respective territories with the objective to "reduce harm" such as livestock predation.
The Commission's proposal is accompanied by references to various studies showing that "wolf populations have increased significantly in the last two decades and are occupying increasingly larger territories", an expansion that the European executive considers a "success." of conservation" but which also "has caused an increase in conflicts with human activities, particularly with regard to damage to livestock, with strong pressure on specific areas and regions".
The Commission specifically cites reports indicating that in the European Union, there are currently "more than 20,000 wolves with generally growing populations and expanding ranges, and breeding packs in 23 EU Member States."
The report The situation of the wolf ('Canis lupus') in the European Union, published this year (only in English) by the EU, details that, "in 2023, wolves have been detected in all EU Member States except Ireland, Cyprus and Malta, and there are breeding herds in 23 countries." In this analysis, some 20,300 wolves have been estimated in 2023 throughout the EU, a figure slightly higher than the 19,400 wolves estimated by the study led by Boitani et al. (2022) and significantly higher than the 11,193 wolves estimated in 2012. "Overall, the number of wolves in the EU is increasing," the official report concludes.
The organization Rewilding Europe points out in its most recent Report on the return of wildlife in Europe (2022) that it is evident that the wolf is returning to Europe, along with other predators such as bears, lynxes and wolverines. "As the population of European wolves grows, so does their geographical distribution: the wolf's distribution in Europe has expanded by 25% in the last decade alone," says Rewilding Europe.
The European Commission's proposal has provoked strong criticism from some prominent conservation organizations. For WWF, for example, the proposal "represents a change of direction due solely to political reasons, since last November the EU rejected Switzerland's attempt to downgrade the protection status of the wolf, arguing that, based on the latest data , the wolf had not reached a favorable conservation status in most EU Member States."
The one presented by the Commission "is a scandalous announcement that has no scientific justification, but is motivated purely by personal reasons and undermines not only the protected status of the wolf, but, with it, all nature conservation efforts in the European Union," said Sabien Leemans, Senior Biodiversity Policy Officer at WWF's European Policy Office.
On paper, however, the European Commission's proposal aims to make the protection of the wolf compatible with the safety and maintenance of activities such as livestock farming. The environmental criticism is understood in a context in which, literally, there is an attempt to lower the protection rating of this species, but the statements of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, should calm spirits: “The return of the wolves is good news for biodiversity in Europe. But the concentration of wolf packs in some European regions has become a real danger, especially for livestock. To more actively manage critical concentrations of wolves, local authorities have asked for more flexibility. The European level should facilitate this and the process that the Commission has started today is an important step. I am deeply convinced that we can and will find specific solutions to protect both biodiversity and our rural livelihoods.”
