WWF warns of a reduction in the protection status of wolves

On the occasion of the vote on Tuesday, the nature conservation organization WWF Austria warns of an impending weakening of the protection status for the wolf under the Bern Convention. “The EU states’ proposal to reduce protection status is not scientifically supported and would send a completely wrong signal. In doing so, the European Union is risking its pioneering role in nature conservation,” says WWF species protection expert Christian Pichler. “A potential change to the convention clears the way for a softening of the entire Habitats Directive – with far-reaching consequences for other endangered species and the entire nature conservation of the EU.” However, a well-planned herd protection offensive would actually be necessary. “As native wild animals and predators, wolves make a natural contribution to biodiversity,” says Pichler. “They prevent the spread of diseases and ideally also strengthen the important protective forests because they can reduce excessive wild populations.”

So far this year only 65 wolves have been detected in Austria Total is repeatedly decimated by illegal regulations and illegal shootings. Most adult wolves are only considered migrants anyway. There are currently only five packs of settled wolf families in Austria. “This means that the species is still far away from the favorable conservation status required by law, as the European Court of Justice confirmed in July,” confirms Christian Pichler from the WWF.

If the EU protection status were to be reduced by one category following a change to the Bern Convention, the legal requirement that the wolf must be brought into a favorable conservation status would still remain. However, federal states such as Salzburg, Carinthia and Tyrol are currently primarily pursuing an illegal shooting policy, which, according to experts, clearly contradicts the ECJ’s findings on wolves. At the same time, the responsible state councils are neglecting professional herd protection and the EU funding available for this.

Imagery to the wolf you will find here for download.