On May 8, 2025, the European Parliament voted to downgrade the protection status of the wolf from a ‘Strictly protected’ to a ‘Protected’ species. Decided by politics, rather than by science. Licenced quota hunting of wolves will now be allowed. A hunt Sweden has been practising since 2010, consistently breaking EU law.
What will the status downgrade mean for the wolf?
It will enable licensed quota hunting of wolves across the EU, allowing countries to actively minimize the number of wolves. This will make it very difficult for wolves in Europe to carry out their role as top predators in the ecosystems they were designed for. However, EU member states can still decide to keep wolves Strictly protected.
“There is no data justifying lowering of the level of protection, but the EU institutions decided to ignore science and instead make a decision on the basis of political interests. Something that risks undoing decades of conservation progress” means Ilaria Di Silvestre, Director at International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The wolf has become a pawn in political games and the downgrading decision risks to undermine the credibility of EU nature legislation. The recovery of the wolf, as well as several other large carnivores, is suddenly at stake.
Wolves in Sweden – priority given to the gun
“In Sweden, licensed quota hunting of wolves has been allowed since 2010 – as if the wolf already had this lower protection level. Sweden’s failure to comply with its international obligations has been widely criticized by scientists, environmental organizations and EU bodies” says Magnus Orrebrant, Secretary General of the Swedish Carnivore Association.
“15 years of licensed wolf hunting in Sweden have not increased the level of acceptance among the wolf’s opponents to coexist with wolves. Quite the contrary, their voice is louder than ever and poaching is still an important limiting factor. Today, huge areas of perfect wolf habitat are completely emptied of wolves” continues Orrebrant. “In reality, this EU decision gives priority to the gun, rather than trying preventive measures. Problems are being over-emphasized, whilst ignoring the advantages of healthy carnivore populations.”
Will bear and lynx be up next?
Sweden has been a driving party behind the wolf downgrade, with the EU Commission following in its footsteps. Other large carnivores now risk coming into the crosshairs. Political pressure is building for a downgrade also of the bear and the lynx, with Sweden’s government and hunting organisations involved in the lobbying efforts for it.
Bring Sweden before the European Court of Justice?
Regardless of the coming downgrade, a fundamental requirement under EU law is that the member states are legally bound to ensure that their wolf populations achieve and remain at a minimum Favourable Conservation Status. A major discussion is therefore focusing on how to define that term.
Magnus Orrebrant continues “Of particular concern is the Swedish government’s repeated claim that 300 wolves constitute a genetically viable wolf population, contradicting scientific research and international guidelines. Even worse, the government recently signalled a change of that number to 170 wolves, which will challenge the very survival of the wolf in Sweden.”
“The Swedish wolf population is currently genetically impoverished, severely inbred, and has not reached long-term Favourable Conservation Status (FCS) explains Ann Dahlerus, Senior Advisor at the Swedish Carnivore Association. “It is now more important than ever that the EU Commission brings Sweden before the European Court of Justice for failing to maintain a favourable conservation status for the wolf – which other EU countries are still trying to uphold. We call on the European Commission to carry out a solid legal and science-based review of Sweden’s actions in this matter. This is about upholding biodiversity, legal accountability, and credible nature conservation across the EU. When is the EU Commission going to stand up and actually enforce the laws designed to protect wildlife and biodiversity in the EU?”
For more information
Magnus Orrebrant, Secretary General
Swedish Carnivore Association
magnus.orrebrant@rovdjur.se
+46 (0)705 168 931
Links
- Wolves: MEPs agree to change EU protection status (English)
- Wolves betrayed: European Parliament bows to politics over science
- “Take Sweden’s wolf killing to the EU Court” (English)
- 53 Associations Call to Halt EU Wolf Downlisting (English)
- Wolf facts from Sweden (English)
- Nature and biodiversity, The Habitats Directive - Large carnivores - EU Commission webpage (English)
- Europe’s Environmental Bad Boy
- Swedes like their large carnivores (English)
- Living side by side (Sweden’s Big Five, 2024, English)
- Distribution maps for Brown bear, Eurasian lynx, Grey wolf, and Wolverine [Dataset]. Kaczensky, Petra et al. (2021)
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