Protection for wolves could be weakened by European Commission
With wolves making a comeback in Europe over the last few decades, they have caused backlash and hostility among farmers. The European Commission has revealed that it will decide whether to soften the protections for the animal.
If it goes ahead, it would mean a step further towards legalising a routine culling or hunting of wolves. The proposal is supported by farmers and also by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen whose pony was killed by a wolf two years ago.
But the move has been criticised by nature and conservation groups who say that there is no scientific evidence to support the plan.
“The EU proposal to downgrade grey wolf protection across Europe has been based on a non-peer-reviewed single report, contracted out by the European Commission and lacks verified independent data,” environmental association Green Impact said in a statement.
Hundreds of academics and scientists are signing two statements on wolf conservation and the role that wolves play on the recovery of an ecosystem, according to the group.
While the return of an animal on the brink of extinction is often met with celebration, some animals can have conflict with humans. This has always been a polarising topic. On the one hand you have conservationists who hail the impact on the environment and ecology. On the other you have farmers who worry for their livestock.
Wolves have always come into conflict with humans because of this and were hunted to extinction in many countries in Europe by the middle of the last century. Since the 1970s however, attitudes began to change and conservation efforts were ramped up to help boost their numbers. Today, around 19,000 wolves are thought to live in the EU, according to the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe. Every mainland EU member state has a population of the animal.
This comeback has been celebrated by environmentalists and conservationists who point out the benefits that they bring to an ecosystem.
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