As we have already had the opportunity to write in recent days, the annual meeting between the contracting parties to the Bern Convention took place this week. Thanks to our Norwegian partner NOAH, Observer association at the meeting that shares with us the membership of the EAWC (European Alliance for Wolf ConservationLet's try to clarify this result a bit.
One of the points discussed and voted on was Switzerland's proposal to transfer the wolf species (Canis lupus) from Annex II of the Convention to Annex III. This would have led to a significant weakening of the protection of the wolf, facilitating the road to slaughter.
The proposal was rejected, with a clear majority against and only six states that supported it. The Swiss government tried to remove the wolf from Appendix II as early as 2005 and again the proposal was rejected and the same was done 13 years later in 2018, but the proposal was postponed for further investigation the conservation status of wolves in the various countries of the European continent. The Bern Convention then commissioned a study from the IUCN research group called the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE) who completed the study in 2022 (available here). The main conclusion of the report is that although the wolf species has spread to almost all European countries, there are still several challenges that wolf conservation faces.
Some of the challenges mentioned by the LCIE are the lack of methods for estimating the size and distribution of wolf populations across different countries, the use of social conflicts around the wolf for political purposes, and the lack of formal cooperation plans between states sharing a cross-border wolf population. The latter has led to the unfortunate situation where states manage the wolf population on their territory without taking into account the population of the neighboring country, and without a "shared action plan". Prof. Luigi Boitani, a leading expert on the subject who presented the LCIE report at the meeting, added that “the recovery of the wolf in Europe is certainly not a success“, but rather a “fortunate coincidence of biological and historical factors", is that this development can easily be reversed. The Swiss delegation justified its proposal with a significant increase in the number of wolves in Europe over the past five years and an increase in conflicts with farmers. They further argued that the wolf "learns quickly that humans are not dangerous" and that it should be easier to cull wolves to control the population. They also believe that, in the long run, wolf management based on culling exceptions could lead to the predator's loss of political acceptance.
The European Commission has stated that there is no reason to change the strict wolf protection under Annex II, taking into account the knowledge base and challenges associated with wolf conservation. The Commission spoke on behalf of the 27 EU Member States.
The proposal was rejected with six states in favour, 30 against (including 27 EU Member States) and 3 abstentions. Supporting the downgrade proposal were Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Belarus, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Norway was one of three countries that abstained from voting.
In conclusion, the outcome of this vote is very important, as the downgrading of the wolf would have been a very strong signal that it could have been reflected on various areas, from Community political management to the Habitats Directive, and it is absolutely necessary that this take place only when the wolf population in Europe is not only in a good state of conservation but also free from threats that can compromise its status and acceptance.
Furthermore, it remains important to underline that to date the member countries have in their hands all the management tools for a correct management of the wolf, first of all the use of the means of prevention of damage, and that the cullings, already possible today through precise requests and procedures , remain the last possibility and should not be considered an ordinary means of managing the wolf but rather exceptions in particular cases and specific episodes.
Special thanks to NOAH for dyrs rectigheter