More than 300 NGOs, including the Milvus Group, have issued a joint statement calling on European Union Member States to maintain the level of protection for wolves.

The European Commission proposes to make the wolf ‘protected’ as opposed to ‘strictly protected’ as it is at the moment, in accordance to the Bern Convention, and therefore making the hunting of wolves possible. The wolf is a strictly protected species and scientific evidence suggests that this should remain the case. Almost extinct due to persecution, hunting and habitat destruction, the wolf’s population in Europe has grown thanks to the international legal protection. Reducing protection now would put the species at even greater risk.

For the moment, there is no scientific basis to justify amending the existing legislation at EU level. Moreover, as confirmed by the Commission’s detailed analysis, there is no scientific evidence that hunting is effective in reducing attacks on farmed animals. In fact, the opposite may even be the case, as it could increase attacks, as there is a risk that the measures could disrupt the social structure of wolves.

The organisations that signed the petition believe that the challenges posed by the return of wolves in parts of the EU and the impact on farmers and livestock keepers can be countered by implementing preventive measures.

Instead of reducing protection for wolves, the EU should:

• Maintain and intensify efforts to increase coexistence between wolves and local communities, with an emphasis on measures to prevent attacks by livestock and on making compensation schemes effective.
• Ensure proper implementation of the legal protection under the EU Habitats Directive in all Member States and eradicate illegal hunting of wolves.
• Support initiatives to raise public awareness and provide accurate, science-based information on wolves, including the ecosystem and socio-economic benefits of large carnivores and appropriate behavior when encountering wolves.

It is now up to the Member States to decide on this proposal and we trust that Romania will make the right decision and not jeopardize years of effective conservation efforts across the continent.

You can sign the petition on this link.