Today the Association I am not afraid of the wolf, committed to promoting the conservation of the wolf in Italy and its coexistence with human activities, sent a letter to the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Hon. Gilberto Pichetto Fratin to invite him to reject the European Commission's proposal to reduce the protection status of the wolf species under the Bern Convention, honoring the national and international commitments that Italy has signed for the protection and restoration of biodiversity, not least Nature restoration law approved in recent days.
"To date, there is no scientific evidence to support such a change in status; on the contrary, a lot of work is still needed on the part of national and community institutions to ensure the conservation of a symbolic species of our country.” these are the words of the Association sent to the Minister in a long letter which also reports how already in 2006, 2018 and 2022 this proposal was rejected precisely due to the lack of scientific evidence that could justify the modification of this status.
Same report on the state of the wolf in Europe published by the Commission at the end of 2023 also confirmed that damage to farm animals remains limited and is even more reduced in areas where the presence of large carnivores has been continuous compared to areas where they had disappeared and returned over the last 50 years.
The Association is also critical of the fact that the discussion on this issue has so far been largely dominated and guided by the interests of agriculture and hunting which have arbitrarily placed themselves as spokespersons for rural communities, despite a recent independent survey conducted in November 2023 in 10 Member States confirm that rural communities are very in favor of rigorous protection of wolves in the EU and in particular 77% of Italians living in rural areas interviewed expressed their opinion in favor of rigorous protection of large carnivores and over 88% confirmed how environmental protection should be a priority for the EU today.
In conclusion, the Association reiterates how the protection of the wolf in Italy is not only a question of ecological importance, but also a reflection of our commitment to the conservation of biodiversity and the values of coexistence and tolerance, underlining how this species is itself a symbol and an integral part of our country's natural heritage and fundamental for maintaining balance in Italian ecosystems.
Opening photo by Alessandro Barbieri