The Number Has Almost Doubled, The European Union Plans To Lower The Status Of Wolf Protection

European wolf illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Artur Galicki)

JAKARTA - The European Commission for the protection of wolves, from being'strict' to being 'protected', a move that was welcomed by hunting and livestock activists, but opposed by conservation groups.

In a report released on December 28, EU executives estimate the current wolf population in all bloc countries except for three countries to reach around 20,300, nearly double the 2012 figure.

The report further states that one in 1,500 sheep out of a total of six million heads is eaten by wolves every year. The total number of livestock being eaten, including goats, cows and a small number of horses and donkeys is estimated to be at least 65,500.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen admits the return of wolves is "good news for biodiversity" in Europe.

The report notes that wolves help prevent ecosystem degradation and the spread of disease in livestock by cutting the population of deer that continues to increase.

"But the concentration of wolves in some European regions has become a real danger, especially for livestock," said Von der Leyen, quoted by Euronews on January 10.

The proposal to change the protection status of wolves based on the Bern Convention on wildlife conservation and European natural habitats is necessary as a first step before changing the European Union's natural protection laws.

However, conservation activists say the data does not justify changes that could turn wolves back on target for hunters, and will be culled if local governments consider them a threat to local farmers.

L\'ea Badoz of Eurogroup for Animals, an NGO, said there was "no scientific support" for a move to change the wolf status based on the 1979 convention.

"The proposal reflects strategic, opportunistic and political steps that raise concerns about motivation and harmony with actual policy goals," Badoz said.

The European Commission itself has been criticized for giving interested parties less than three weeks to respond to requests for data on the current wolf population, some of which are the basis for this proposal.

Separately, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said in a statement the proposal represented a change in direction by the Commission which in October opposed the same proposal from Switzerland, arguing the proposal "will effectively lead to the lowest protection status for wolf populations across Europe" regardless of locality and regional differences.

Sabien Leemans, a biodiversity specialist at WWF, condemned a decision he said was "outrageous" and had no scientific justification.

"President von der Leyen deliberately sacrificed decades of conservation efforts for his political gain, in line with the efforts of his political allies to make wolves a scapegoat for socio-economic issues in rural communities," Leemans criticized.

On the other hand, hunting and livestock activities support the plan. The head of the Copa-Cogenca agricultural lobby, Christiane Lambert, praised the move on social media.

"Finally, the Commission heeded Von der Leyen's call to better protect livestock from the dangers of wolves," he said.

The European Federation of Hunting and Conservation, which claims to represent the interests of seven million hunters across Europe, said the proposed status change would not change legal requirements to preserve wolves, and would allow "adaptive management, which is more appropriate for species that are no longer threatened".

Federation president Torbj Larsson called for a broader approach that includes other vertex predators.

"While we welcome this news, we expect environmental ministers to support science-based proposals," said Larsson.

"However, to ensure the success of coexistence, we also need large numbers of carnivorous packages including bears and lynx, focusing on their protection status, revising the European Commission guidelines and a conservation status reporting system."