Wolf Protection: What the Downgrading in the Bern Convention Means

Protection status lowered, open season, the hunt for the wolf is on, right? Wolf opponents are fond of suggesting exactly this. The truth, however, is: the wolf still remains under strict protection, but its transfer from Annex II to Annex III of the Bern Convention is the first step toward changing that.

Editorial Wild beim Wild — 5 March 2025

Annex II of the Bern Convention of 1979 lists strictly protected animal species.

They are subject to a general prohibition on killing, which allows for limited exceptions. The wolf, however, is no longer listed in Annex II but in Annex III. The general prohibition on killing under the Bern Convention has therefore been lifted.

Nevertheless, EU member states have committed to species protection under a further directive: the Habitats Directive (FFH Directive or Directive 92/43/EEC) represents the implementation of the Bern Convention at EU level with regard to strict species protection. The wolf continues to be listed in Annex IV of this directive and is therefore strictly protected.

Protection Status Not Yet Changed in Practice

In practice, the level of protection for the wolf has therefore still not changed; it continues to be subject to the general prohibition on killing under the EU-wide Habitats Directive, with very limited possibilities for exceptions pursuant to Article 12.

However, the reduction of the wolf's protection status under the Bern Convention, which has now come into force, opens up the possibility of also lowering it in the Habitats Directive. It would then be moved from Annex IV to Annex V, thereby losing its strict protection. It would then become one of the animal species of community interest “whose taking in the wild and exploitation may be subject to management measures.” The general prohibition on killing under the Habitats Directive would therefore no longer apply. However, downgrading the wolf in the Habitats Directive requires the unanimous agreement of all 27 EU member states. In Switzerland, too, the senseless hobby hunting of wolves is highly controversial.

The next step is implementation at the level of individual member states, and only then would the reduced protection status take effect.

Uncontrolled hunting not possible

Uncontrolled hunting, or even the establishment of wolf-free zones as often advocated by opponents of the wolf, is not possible even after the reduction of protection status by individual nation states. Under Annex III of the Bern Convention, the wolf is no longer a strictly protected species, but it remains a protected one. This means that it must be ensured that the survival of the wolf population is not put at risk.

The status reduction in the Bern Convention therefore by no means means “free fire” — but it is the first step toward the hunting of wolves. It is a fatal signal for European species protection, as the decision was not based on scientific grounds but was purely politically motivated. The favourable conservation status of the wolf population has not been even remotely achieved, either across the EU or in individual countries, and large areas of the EU remain wolf-free to this day. As studies demonstrate, hobby hunting fails as a means of population control.

A breach in the dam for species protection

The decision to downgrade the protection status of wolves due to a lack of scientific evidence represents a significant setback for nature conservation and democratic processes in Europe. It violates established procedures, lacks scientific justification, and poses a direct threat to biodiversity. It also contradicts the fundamental principles of the Bern Convention itself, which, as stated in its preamble, recognises the intrinsic value and right to life of wild flora and fauna, which must be preserved and passed on to future generations. More on Biodiversity.

The decision could be a breaking of the dam that may affect other animal species as well, including the beaver or the European otter.

Recreational hunting of wolves will prove counterproductive for livestock protection; the disappointed hopes will serve as grist to the mill of wolf agitators. The best protection for grazing animals against wolves is good technical herd protection and/or the use of livestock guardian dogs, as well as stable wolf packs in stable territories where the territorial wolves have learned that fences hurt.

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