Change in status under Bern Convention on nature protection could expose burgeoning wolf populations to culling and hunting for sport.
The Council of Europe has backed an EU proposal to downgrade the protection status of wolves from ‘strictly protected’ to ‘protected’ in a move that has prompted a wave of outrage from conservationists who say the move was political rather than science-based.
The European Commission proposed the change to the Bern Convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats last December as a necessary prequel to amending the EU’s own nature protection law.
This would allow “more flexibility in managing wolf populations”, the EU executive said. President Ursula von der Leyen described the vote as “important news for our rural communities and farmers” and said a “balanced approach” was needed to protect livelihoods.
