Europe turns its back on the wolf. On 24th of November, the European Parliament adopted a joint motion for Resolution calling for downgrading wolves’ protection status. Thinking of the successful actions to protect the species, this news is really disheartening.
The joint motion was formulated by various parliamentary groups and was adopted by 306 votes in favour, 225 against and 25 abstentions. It calls for downgrading the protection of the wolf under the Bern Convention: the agreement signed by 49 Countries for the Conservation of Wildlife and Natural Habitats.
According to the joint motion, conflict prevention methods would be ineffective and the costs for farmers too high. But these statements ignore scientific evidence and best practices demonstrating that coexistence is the solution.
We have 350 reasons – the number of electric fences and bear-proof gates Salviamo l’Orso have installed so far in collaboration with Rewilding Apennines – to believe that damage preventions systems are the most effective way to allow coexistence with large carnivores, that are essential to biodiversity and healthy ecosystems. Luckily, the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention rejected the proposal. The wolf remains a strictly protected species, but the fact that its conservation has been questioned by European summits gives us much to think about the importance of continuing our work to spread good practices for coexisting with large carnivores.
