In a meeting on Tuesday, members of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats voted to downgrade the status of wolves from “strictly protected” to “protected.” This will allow the EU to modify the Habitats Directive and make it easier for countries to grant kill orders for wolves that are considered to be threats to livestock. This decision is a devastating blow for wolves, who face significant threats from humans, and is a threat to science-based policies.

The change in status will go into effect in three months, “unless at least one third of the Parties to the Council of Europe’s Bern Convention (17) object, in which case it will not enter into force. If fewer than one third of the Parties object, the decision will enter into force only for those Parties which have not objected.” More.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen campaigned heavily for this proposal after her pet pony was killed by a wolf in 2022. Other supporters included all 27 EU members and a handful of countries, but conservationists are concerned that these decisions were centered around politics, not science. The Commission proposed downgrading wolf protections in 2023 following a flawed consultation process that is now under investigation by the EU Ombudsman.

Wolves across Europe have just barely begun to recover from centuries of persecution, and we have the Bern Convention and the Habitats Directive to thank.

History of Wolf Protections in Europe

The Bern Convention, adopted in 1979, was the first international treaty to protect both species and habitats, and united countries to make conservation decisions. Wolves are listed in Appendix II as a strictly protected species but, under the proposal, would be downgraded to Appendix III (protected).

Under the EU Habitats Directive, which was established in 1992, all EU member states must establish protections for at risk species.Wolves are currently listed in Annexes II and IV, which means they require special conservation areas and strict protection, respectively. Member states must also manage and protect core areas for the species.

Although wolves once stretched across all of Europe, centuries of intense persecution caused their numbers to drop. Today, thanks to the protections provided under the Bern Convention and the Habitats Directive, there are an estimated 19,000 – 20,000 wolves across the 27 EU member states.

Non-Lethal Coexistence is Only Path Forward

Although their population seems quite large, wolf numbers pale in comparision to livestock; a 2023 EU report recorded 68 million sheep and goats ranging across Europe. Only about 50,000 of those animals (or 0.065%) are killed by wolves each year. As we see in the US, wolves targeted by livestock producers and farmers despite having a disproportionately small impact on farmed animals.

To truly coexist and allow for both science and wolves to thrive, EU member states should instead focus on non-lethal coexistence.