The European Commission has proposed the revision of the status of wolves:they may be kicked out

The European Commission has proposed changing the protection status of the wolf from "strictly protected" to only "protected".The loss of the adverb it would thus open the door to hunting, albeit with the limitations imposed by the Member States as they are still "obliged to ensure that a favorable conservation status is achieved and maintained for the populations in their biogeographical regions".According to the Commission, there are over 20,000 individuals present in European territory, a number that represents "a victory for the conservation of the species" but also "a risk for livestock and rural communities".However, the proposal did not convince animal rights associations such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which writes about lack of scientific evidence in this regard and accused Ursula von der Leyen of “sacrificing conservation successes for her own political gain”.President who was directly affected by the matter, since a pony she owned was killed by a wolf on 1 September 2022.

Although the protection status of the wolf has been debated for years, Brussels has made a marked acceleration in recent months.The EU executive will meet in September had invited local communities, scientists and all interested parties” to present updated data on the wolf population and their impacts.From their analyzes it emerged that wolf populations have "significantly increased in the last two decades", that they "occupy increasingly larger territories" and that involve «growing conflicts with human activities, particularly regarding damage to livestock, with strong pressure on specific areas and regions."From here the decision of the Commission, which to become effective will first have to intervene on the Bern International Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, which led to the European law which prohibits the capture, killing, disturbance, detention, transport, exchange and marketing of wolves in the territory of the Union.Commission which also recalled, however, that the adaptation of the legal status in any case it would not mean the green light for systematic culling, as "the general legal objective remains the achievement and maintenance of a favorable conservation status for the species".Virginijus Sinkevičius – Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries – said that investments in prevention measures “remain essential”, adding that “the Commission will continue to support national and local authorities with funding and guidance to promote coexistence with the wolf and large carnivores in general."

According to the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (Ispra) the wolf population in Italy it numbers around 3,300 specimens, of which 950 in the Alpine regions and 2,400 along the rest of the peninsula.The Minister of Agriculture Francesco Lollobrigida he commented the Commission's proposal, defining it as «desirable and necessary to guarantee the survival of other species put at risk by the excessive proliferation of this animal».He then raised it again Coldiretti, recalling «the thousands of sheep and goats torn to pieces, cows slaughtered and donkeys killed throughout the Peninsula», which led to the «closure of activities and the abandonment of the mountains».

The WWF has a diametrically opposed opinion, accusing Ursula von der Leyen of "sacrificing conservation successes for their own political gain”.In the press release, the organization writes:«This is an outrageous announcement which has no scientific justification but is motivated solely by personal reasons and undermines not only the protection status of the wolf, but with it all nature conservation efforts in the EU.President von der Leyen is deliberately sacrificing decades of conservation work for her own political gain, echoing her political allies' attempts to scapegoat the wolf for socio-economic problems in rural communities.This is unacceptable and may set a dangerous precedent for all species and habitats inside and outside the EU territory."Furthermore, among the accusations, it is also remembered that just last year the EU itself had rejected Switzerland's attempt to downgrade the protection status of the wolf claiming that it had not yet reached a state of conservation in most states of the Union and that according to a recent survey 68% of rural residents believe that wolves should be strictly protected and 72% agree that they have the right to coexist.

[by Roberto Demaio]