EU approves wolf protection downgrade amid conservationist backlash

European Parliament vote clears way for limited wolf hunting under revised protection laws.

A wolf (Canis lupus) walks inside its enclosure at the Tripsdrill wildlife park near Cleebronn in southern Germany, on March 21, 2024. Photo by Thomas Kienzle/AFP

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

EU lawmakers voted on Thursday to approve a controversial downgrade in the protection status of wolves across the bloc, a move that will now allow hunting to resume under strict conditions. The decision has reignited fierce debate between rural lawmakers advocating for livestock protection and conservationists warning of ecological backsliding.

The vote follows a December agreement by parties to the Bern Convention—a treaty governing wildlife protection across Europe and parts of Africa—to lower the status of the grey wolf from “strictly protected” to merely “protected.” That change officially came into effect in March. Acting swiftly, the European Commission proposed updates to align EU law with the revised protection levels.

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted the legislative adjustment by a vote of 371 to 162, with backing from conservative, centrist, and far-right groups.

Implementation awaits formal ratification

Although the new EU wolf law has passed the European Parliament, it still requires a formal endorsement from the Council of the European Union, comprising member state governments. This approval is largely seen as a formality since most national leaders had already indicated support for the shift in wolf protection policy. Once the legal text is rubber-stamped, EU member states will have 18 months to implement the new rules domestically.

The downgrade will provide greater leeway to local and regional authorities to manage wolf populations and issue hunting exemptions where justified. Advocates of the change say it reflects growing concerns among rural communities over the increased presence of wolves near farms and villages, particularly in mountainous and pastoral regions.

Conservationists decry decision as a threat to species recovery

Opposition to the EU wolf protection downgrade has come swiftly from environmental NGOs and left-wing political factions. They argue that the decision is not grounded in scientific data and risks reversing decades of conservation gains.

“There is no data justifying a lower level of protection, but the EU institutions decided to ignore science,” said Ilaria Di Silvestre, Europe policy director at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). She made the remarks in a joint statement issued by IFAW alongside Humane World for Animals Europe and the Eurogroup for Animals.

Environmentalists say the move sets “a worrying precedent for European nature conservation,” especially at a time when the European Union has pledged to strengthen biodiversity protections as part of its broader climate strategy.

Sebastian Everding, a member of the Left group in the European Parliament, criticized the vote, stating: “Downgrading wolf protection panders to fear, not facts.” He emphasized that non-lethal coexistence strategies—such as protective fencing and livestock guardian dogs—should be expanded instead of weakening legal safeguards.

Historical context and population trends

Grey wolves were once nearly extinct across much of Europe, having been systematically hunted and driven out of large swathes of their historic range during the 19th and early 20th centuries. However, concerted conservation efforts over the last several decades have allowed the species to rebound.

According to recent estimates, there are now approximately 20,300 wolves across Europe, with major populations concentrated in the Balkans, Italy, Spain, and parts of Scandinavia. In countries like Germany and France, wolves have returned to rural areas where they had not been seen for generations.

Despite their resurgence, wolves remain a polarizing presence in rural regions. While there have been no confirmed human fatalities, attacks on livestock have surged. Spanish MEP Esther Herranz Garcia, a member of the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), cited data indicating over 60,000 livestock animals are attacked by wolves annually within the EU.

Political pressure and personal history

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen welcomed Thursday’s vote, saying it provides needed “flexibility” for member states dealing with high local concentrations of wolves.

“With growing wolf concentrations in some areas, we should give authorities more flexibility to find balanced solutions between the aim to protect biodiversity and the livestock of local farmers,” she stated.

Her comments carried added weight due to a personal episode from late 2022, when her family’s pony, Dolly, was killed by a wolf that entered their property in northern Germany. The incident sparked speculation that her support for the policy shift might be emotionally driven.

Nonetheless, the European Commission and von der Leyen’s EPP party have maintained that the new legal framework is a pragmatic response to a changing ecological reality—not a reactionary rollback.

Controlled hunting, not a 'licence to kill'

Supporters of the EU wolf protection downgrade were quick to stress that the change does not authorize indiscriminate killing of wolves. Instead, it allows national and local governments to tailor wolf management strategies, including tightly regulated culls where necessary.

“This is not a licence to kill,” said Pascal Canfin, a centrist French MEP with the Renew Europe group. “We are providing more leeway for local exemptions—wolves remain a protected species.”

Member states will still be expected to submit evidence-based justifications before permitting any hunting activities, in line with the conditions set by the Bern Convention. The European Commission has also indicated it will monitor how exemptions are implemented to ensure compliance with biodiversity goals.

Concerns over political motivations

Green and socialist lawmakers expressed disappointment at the outcome, arguing that the vote was motivated more by political pressure than ecological science.

“The people who feed our country cannot be expected to work with this fear hanging over them,” said France’s Valerie Deloge, a livestock farmer and representative of the hard-right Patriots group. Her sentiments were echoed by several MEPs from rural constituencies who emphasized the psychological toll on farmers sharing land with large carnivores.

Yet opponents of the downgrade argue that stoking fear of wolves overlooks successful coexistence programs in countries like Italy and Slovenia, where investment in deterrents and compensation systems has minimized conflicts.

Broader implications for EU environmental policy

The EU wolf protection downgrade raises broader concerns about the EU’s commitment to wildlife conservation, particularly as it pursues the European Green Deal and its 2030 Biodiversity Strategy. Environmental groups fear the shift may open the door for future efforts to relax protections for other species, including bears and lynxes.

With European elections looming, some analysts suggest the vote reflects growing pressure on centrist and conservative parties to appeal to rural voters increasingly disenchanted with green policies perceived as urban-centric.

Although wolves remain a protected species under EU law, the political momentum behind the downgrade could signal a new chapter in the bloc’s approach to conservation—one in which human-wildlife conflict weighs more heavily in the legal balance.

The coming months will determine how member states interpret and apply the revised rules. Conservationists, meanwhile, are bracing for a new battle over Europe’s natural heritage, with wolves once again caught in the crossfire.