The German Farmers' Association (Deutscher Bauernverband, DBV) and the German Hunting Association (Deutsche Jagdverband, DJV) are calling for the management and control of the wolf population.
“The wolf is no longer an endangered species in Germany; the favourable conservation status for wolves, based on the criteria of the Fauna-Flora-Habitat Guideline (FFH Guideline), has been met,” confirmed Professor Dr. habil. Sven Herzog at a forum for DBV and DJV representatives.
“Currently, there are obvious problems with the safety of livestock, which indicates that certain limits have been reached, and the negative consequences of wolf expansion in Germany can no longer be controlled by livestock protection measures alone. The Federal Government must report the favourable conservation status of the wolf to Brussels and initiate appropriate population management. Active regulation of the wolf population is necessary for preventive livestock protection,” explains Eberhard Hartelt, DBV environmental expert and President of the Farmers' and Winegrowers' Association of Rhineland-Palatinate.
“The European Commission is prepared to relax the conservation status of the wolf to allow for more flexible management of the species without compromising its favourable conservation status. In almost all EU countries, the wolf population is stable or increasing. The German Federal Government must keep its promise and finally implement regionally differentiated population management,” explains DJV
President Helmut Dammann-Tamke.
Regarding the FFH Directive criteria for a favourable conservation status of a species: wolves have now been identified in all German federal states. Given the estimates that there were 2,500–3,000 animals in the country in the summer of 2023, the international criteria for a favourable conservation status of the species have been met.
According to international criteria, a population can be classified as “not endangered” if the network of different populations has a positive effect on the genetics and demography of the species. This has been proven in Germany. Given the high adaptability of wolves, it is expected that they will continue to spread.
Genetic exchange between wolf populations in Germany, Poland, the Baltic states, Austria and France has been proven; therefore, the wolf has a large distribution area within the European Union.
The DBV and DJV demand that, in addition to ecological criteria, greater importance be placed on socio-economic aspects in the future of wolf distribution. This means it would not be necessary for the wolf to inhabit every potentially suitable habitat. Germany has enough regions that are not intensively used by grazing animals and humans to ensure the long-term survival of the wolf in Germany.