Wolf protection reduced in Europe. Is biodiversity at stake?
From EuroNews.com:
The wolf is no longer a “strictly protected species” in Europe.
In December, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention voted to downgrade its status, accepting a controversial EU proposal. A proposal in fact supported by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, after a wolf killed her pony in 2022.
The wolf remains a “protected species”, but Member States will now have more flexibility to cull it. Farmers have long been calling for less stringent rules on culling. For the environmental associations, however, this is a blow to biodiversity, with no scientific basis.