Wolves to Lose ‘Strictly Protected’ Status in Europe

European countries have agreed to downgrade the protection status of wolves due to their growing number and effect on agriculture and farming livestock.

The 49 member states of the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats agreed to lower the wolf’s protection status from “strictly protected” to “protected”, the Council of Europe said on Tuesday.

The change will be implemented from March 2025.

Wolves have been protected from being hunted or captured unless they pose a serious threat to livestock or health and safety.

Under their new status, any “exploitation” of wolves “shall be regulated in order to keep the populations out of danger” – giving a far lower threshold for hunting them.

The European Commission proposed the change last year as growing wolf numbers led to conflicts with farming and hunting communities and there were calls for measures to prevent attacks on livestock.