Wolves in the EU: Protection Under Threat

EU Commission collects data on wolf populations

In light of «conflicts with local farmers and hobby hunters», the European Commission stated in a press release, that it will collect data on wolf populations and their impacts until 22 September 2023. On this basis, it will decide whether to propose a downgrading of the conservation status of the species.

Wolf populations in the EU remain endangered

The range of wolves has expanded by more than 25% over the past ten years, and wolves are now found in all mainland member states. This success remains fragile, however, as six of the nine cross-border wolf populations in the EU have yet to achieve favourable conservation status.

Current legal framework allows for flexibility

The high level of protection afforded to wolves under the Habitats Directive already provides for the possibility of derogations pursuant to Article 16. For 2019 and 2020, member states reported 772 derogations for the killing of predators in order to prevent serious damage to livestock. In 2018, an estimated over 900 wolves per year were killed in the EU.

Coexistence is the solution

We estimate the presence of 19’000 wolves in the EU, which is negligible compared to the 86 million sheep kept. Between 2012 and 2016, the annual number of sheep compensated due to wolf attacks corresponded to 0.05% of the overwintering sheep population.

More than 80 projects funded since 1992 through the European Commission’s LIFE programme have demonstrated the effectiveness of coexistence measures such as livestock guardian dogs and fencing. These measures have proven more effective than culling predators to protect livestock.

Benefits of Wolves

Wolves provide important services for the environment and the economy. They are keystone species that restore biodiversity, prevent the spread of disease, and restore a natural balance in the ecosystem, as demonstrated in Yellowstone National Park.

Dossier: Wolf in Switzerland: Facts, Politics and the Limits of Hunting

Further Articles

• Swiss meadows are losing biodiversity at an alarming rate
• When sheep, cattle and others occupy wildlife habitat
• Swiss animal protection organization criticizes planned wolf culls as a threat to pack structures and livestock protection
• In Graubünden, wolf mismanagement runs rampant
• Val Fex: When the livestock protection concept is more full of holes than the fence
• Shooting instead of protection – Switzerland on the path to silent wolf extermination
• Communication failure at the Office for Hunting and Fishing in Graubünden
• Illegal wolf hunting in Switzerland
• Wolf cubs in Switzerland under fire
• Switzerland sells wolf massacre as a success
• Sloppiness in the office of Katrin Schneeberger
• Livestock grazing alters soil, plant and insect populations
• The insane hunt for wolves in Switzerland
• The truth about sheep mortality in Switzerland: causes and statistics
• Wolf culls in Switzerland: concerns about party politician Albert Rösti
• Let us stop the SVP's destructive rage
• Participate: An appeal for change in Switzerland
• 200 environmental organizations from 6 continents call on the Swiss government: Stop the wolf cull
• Federal Council faces sharp criticism from wolf experts
• The consequences of controversial wolf management in Switzerland
• Wolf: Federal Councillor Rösti (SVP) circumvents law and order
• Es Burebüebli mahn i nit
• Are BAFU and the hunting authorities still operating responsibly?
• Federal Councillor Albert Rösti tramples the will of the people
• The consequences of controversial wolf management in Switzerland
• Too many sheep are harming biodiversity
• Agricultural use destroys alpine meadows
• Livestock losses despite herd protection – how is that possible?
• The rotten apple in the St. Gallen hunting administration
• Pro Natura calls for a comprehensive strategy for summer sheep grazing
• According to the Agridea study, livestock protection with dogs works well
• Thanks to herd protection, wolves kill fewer livestock in Switzerland
• Farmers treat fields as disposal sites
• Biomass of wildlife
• On Sheep Farmers and Vague Authorities
• The Double Standards of Wolf Opponents