The wolf will no longer be a strictly protected species. Green light to amend the Bern Convention

Brussels – Step by step, the revision of wolf protection status proposed by the European Commission is getting closer. Today (Dec. 3), the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of Wildlife and Natural Habitats in Europe gave its endorsement: the wolf will move from a “strictly protected species” to a “protected species.” This is “important news for our rural communities and farmers,” Ursula von der Leyen rejoiced.

Brussels had indicated the go-ahead from the governing body comprising countries that are part of the Council of Europe Convention as a prerequisite for amending the Habitats Directive, which protects large carnivores on European territory. The 50 parties to the Convention, in force since 1982, said yes: the amendment will enter into force in three months “unless at least one-third of the Parties to the Bern Convention object.”

Numbers at hand, in addition to the 27 EU countries, Lichtenstein, Andorra, Switzerland, Norway, Macedonia, Serbia, Armenia, Iceland, and Ukraine supported the amendment his morning. Only five opposed – the United Kingdom, Monaco, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania – and two abstained, Tunisia and Turkey. It takes 17 opponents for the revised wolf protection status not to enter into force. If, on the other hand, less than one-third of the Parties oppose, “the decision will enter into force only for those Parties that did not oppose,” the Council of Europe specified in a statement. The final decision is due on Dec. 6.

“We need a balanced approach between wildlife conservation and protecting our livelihoods,” von der Leyen reiterated. The president of the European Commission, a firm believer in the need to review the protection status of the wolf, in September 2022 suffered an attack on her property in northern Germany, in which her pony, Dolly, was killed. A year later, the European Commission invited local communities and scientists to present updated data on wolf populations and their impacts: that survey found not only that wolves in Europe have “significantly increased in the last two decades” – more than 20,000 individuals – but that they “occupy ever larger territories,” leading to “increasing conflicts with human activities, particularly for livestock damage, with strong pressures on specific areas and regions.”

Based on that analysis, in December 2023, the European Commission proposed downgrading the wolf’s protection status. The European Parliament had already made such a request, and member countries adopted it in September 2024. The Brussels proposal is not the first to reach the Bern Convention. In 2022, Switzerland had tried, but without success.

The next step: the amendment of the Habitats Directive

Once the international treaty amendment enters into force on March 7, 2025, the European Commission can propose a legislative amendment to adapt the Habitats Directive to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council. It will bring wolves out of the inner circle of large carnivores – along with the brown bear, wolverine, golden jackal, Eurasian lynx, and Iberian lynx – for which there is a prohibition of deliberate killing and capture, as well as deterioration or destruction of their breeding and resting sites in all EU territories.

Downgrading the wolf’s status to “protected species” will give member states more flexibility to “deal with the most difficult cases of coexistence between wolves and communities in states that need it.” It will provide more room for trapping and culling, in any case already allowed by the Habitats Directive itself, which – when measures to prevent or reduce predation risks are not enough – provides for the possibility of acting by way of derogation from obligations on large carnivores.

“Investment in appropriate damage prevention measures remains essential to reduce livestock predation,” the European Commission pointed out in a note, assuring that it “will continue to assist Member States and stakeholders in the design and implementation of such measures through funding and other forms of support.” On the other hand, WWF said in a statement that “the EU already allows responsible management of wolves, including culling if necessary,” and denounced “politically motivated decisions, which are seemingly influenced by personal reasons.”

Important news for our rural communities and farmers.

The Bern convention has decided to adjust the protection status of wolves.

Because we need a balanced approach between the preservation of wildlife and the protection of our livelihoods

– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 3, 2024