Spain Revokes Wolf Protection Status In The North Coastal Region

Spanish Wolf. (Wikimedia Commons/Carmelo Pecimen)

JAKARTA - The Spanish parliament chose to revoke the wolf protection status on Thursday, four years after the inclusion of the status, which paved the way for the predator to be hunted again in the country's rural northern region.

Farmers praised the move, while conservationists denounced it as "tragistic" to the country's wolves and biodiversity.

The parliamentary action canceled the protection introduced by the Socialist government in 2021 that expanded the protection for wolves north of the Douro river.

Previously, controlled wolf hunting was allowed in northern Spain.

Efforts to protect wolves in Europe began to waver after the European Commission last week proposed to lower the protection status of the animals, as their growing number and threats they pose to livestock.

Law changes in Europe could lead to authorization of wolf hunting as well as in the south of Douro, which to date has been strictly banned.

The move taken by Spanish lawmakers on Thursday was approved in an amendment to the law on food waste proposed by the conservative People's Party (PP).

The search for a controlled wolf could restart north of Douro when the law is published in the coming days.

The Iberian Wolf Protection and Study Association on Thursday accused far-right parties voting for the amendment as "legal power scams" in changing laws that had nothing to do with the environment.

"This is a tragic day not only for wolves, but also for other Spanish biodiversity," the association said in an emailed statement.

Meanwhile, the COAG agricultural association celebrated the legislative changes after years of organizing protests against the provision on behalf of the farmers, saying their livelihoods were threatened.

COAG said the wolves were responsible for the killing of 15,000 livestock in Spain every year.

Environment Minister Sara Aagesen said before the vote took place, biodiversity policies should be based on science, adding the government would study what tools it had to protect wolves.