The European Parliament voted to downgrade wolves\u2019 conservation status from \u201cstrictly protected\u201d to \u201cprotected\u201d on 8 May, a move welcomed by agricultural co-ops but criticised by environmental groups.<\/p>\n
Proposed by the European Commission, the amendment to the Habitats Directive regarding the protection status of the wolf<\/a> was adopted with 371 votes in favour, 162 against, and 37 abstentions.<\/p>\n Copa and Cogeca<\/a>, the voice of European farmers and their co-ops, said the vote \u201cmarks a significant and long-overdue development in enabling EU member states and other European countries to apply effective management and monitoring of growing wolf populations across the continent\u201d.<\/p>\n The two apexes argued that \u201crelying exclusively on derogations for capturing, relocating, or culling wolves is no longer a sustainable approach\u201d.<\/p>\n Since the adoption of the Council of Europe\u2019s Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (1979), referred to as the Bern Convention, the number of wolves is estimated to have grown by at least 25% over the last decade.<\/p>\n \u201cDerogations are, by nature, exceptional and reactive,\u201d added Copa and Cogeca, calling for a shift toward \u201ca science-based and proactive management model \u2013 one that ensures not only the stability of the wolf population, but also its long-term genetic health through controlled and active management.\u201d<\/p>\n The apexes added that farmers and rural communities are directly affected by increasing wolf populations and the lack of appropriate tools to manage the species, adding that they welcomed the EU institutions\u2019 response to their concerns.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s vote in Parliament is an important step,\u201d they added, \u201cbut the decisive moment will come in the Council, when member states must now endorse this amendment.<\/p>\n \u201cCopa and Cogeca call on all member states to act with the same urgency as the European Parliament and to work closely with local stakeholders in developing effective, pragmatic management plans. Only through such collaboration can we achieve true coexistence between humans and large carnivores in Europe\u2019s rural areas.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a 2022 EU study,<\/a> the EU has 20,356 wolves, grouped into nine populations, five of which were considered \u201cnear threatened\u201d and one \u201cvulnerable\u201d. Wolf attacks on people are extremely rare, the study adds, with only six between 2002 and 2020 and no fatal attacks recorded in Europe over the last 40 years. On the other hand, it finds that attacks on livestock and pets have resulted in \u20ac18.7m in compensation for their owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n Among those affected was the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, whose pet pony was killed by a wolf in 2022.<\/p>\n Related: Agri co-ops welcome EU proposal to amend wolf conservation status<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n