lowering the protected status of wolves? debate resumes in germany
2024-09-30
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[global times special correspondent aoki in germany] there has been a fierce debate between german animal protectionists and farmers over the protection of wolves for many years, and now things are changing. germany's westphalia news reported on the 27th that representatives of eu countries had voted in favor of reducing protection for wolves. this paves the way for stricter regulation of wolves in brussels, but has been criticized by animal rights groups.
data map source: french media
according to the german "der spiegel" report, diplomats revealed that representatives of the 27 eu member states voted last week to lower the protected status of wolves, thus simplifying the hunting procedures for wolves. the german federal government publicly expressed its support for the reforms, giving the initiative a majority in the eu vote.
the initiative for relaxed hunting of wolves comes from the european commission. it calls for the wolf's conservation status to be downgraded from "strictly protected" to "protected," although details have yet to be determined. "der spiegel" analyzed that this is likely to make wolves easier to shoot. if the decision is formally adopted at a ministerial meeting in the future, the eu can submit a request to the berne convention standing committee to accordingly lower the protection status of wolves. if there is a majority in the standing committee in favor of changing the protected status of wolves, the european commission can submit a proposal to reduce the "protected status" of wolves in eu law, which can only be implemented after a vote.
according to reports, germany’s “traffic light alliance” has been committed to protecting wolves, but now it is also changing its position. according to diplomatic sources, it is important for germany to change only the protected status of wolves and not other animals. from a german perspective, wolves and herding can coexist. a spokesman for the european commission stressed that any changes to eu law would be limited to this specific species. "the development of the wolf population in recent years makes this decision responsible from the perspective of nature conservation and necessary from the perspective of livestock farmers," said german environment minister steffi lemke.
deutsche presse-agentur reported that german farmers' associations recently warned of an increase in wolf attacks on farm livestock. in 2022, more than 4,300 farm animals were killed, injured or missing. this number is approximately double that of 2018. at the same time, corresponding damages have also increased significantly over the years. "the protected status of wolves is no longer reasonable, and the problem of wolves themselves is increasing dramatically in germany and even europe." joachim, chairman of the farmers' association, said: "lowering the protected status of wolves is logical and also provides a solution for herders on this issue. the first important step towards change.”
the german union for conservation of nature criticized the decision, saying "anyone who thinks that making it easier to shoot wolves will eliminate the risk of wolf attacks is wrong. group protection must always be in play, even if a few wolves are shot. causing huge harm to unprotected groups.”
the wwf said wolves became extinct in western europe, including germany, in the mid-19th century and survived only in eastern and southern europe. relevant departments in the german state of saxony said that in the 1970s and 1980s, people began to rethink the issue of wolves, and many european countries protected them. the latest data from the german environment ministry shows that nearly 1,400 wolves have been detected in germany, and the trend is still rising. the european environment agency estimates that there are approximately 20,000 wolves in europe.
