NGOs urge EU to maintain strict protection of wolves

A coalition of environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called on European Union (EU) member states in an open letter on Tuesday to suspend the reduction of wolf protection, maintaining the highest conservation status, as is the case in Portugal.

Recalling that the reduction of the wolf's protection status from strictly protected to protected, decided in June, is being challenged before the Court of Justice of the EU, the NGOs urge the 27 to await the final decision before changing their national legislation, remembering that the change in status is not mandatory.

Portugal, Belgium, Poland and the Czech Republic have already announced that they will maintain strict protection of their wolf populations, with hunting of this species continuing to be prohibited.

The more than 75 signatory NGOs are now calling on other Member States to follow their example.

The open letter also recalls that the EU Habitats Directive is fundamentally based on ecological criteria, so socioeconomic factors cannot justify weakening species protection.

EU countries have until January 2027 to implement the reduction in wolf protection or reject it.

Most EU wolf subpopulations remain vulnerable, at risk, or endangered, according to assessments published by the European scientific community, the environmental coalition also says, stressing that a blanket listing of all wolf populations in the EU contradicts scientific evidence and, as such, is not in line with the Habitats Directive.