Member-only story
How to Kill a Wolf
European countries have downgraded the conservation status of wolves from “strictly protected” to “protected”, under the Bern Convention — paving the way for legislation that will make it easier to kill these animals.
Wolves have been a “strictly protected” species in Europe under the Bern Convention since 1979, when it was adopted by the Council of Europe. Its signatories are therefore legally bound to ensure the protection of these animals and their habitats as of 1982 — the year the document first came into force.
European Member States — all signatories to the Bern Convention — are further bound by the European Union’s Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/EEC) adopted ten years later, which reinforces the protection afforded to wolves.
However, in recent years, there has been significant pushback against these protections from rural communities. Communities that have seen their livestock and livelihoods threatened by growing populations of wolves.
In countries like Sweden for example, the government has inclusively resorted to issuing annual wolf culling licenses — against EU law — to reduce wolf population sizes.
