The Council of Europe's Bern Convention Committee has adopted an EU proposal to modify the status of wolf (Canis lupus) protection from "strictly protected fauna species" (Appendix II) to "protected fauna species" (Appendix III). The final decision will be published on Friday 6 December.
The change will enter into force in three months, unless at least one third of the Parties to the Council of Europe's Bern Convention (17) object, in which case it will not enter into force. If fewer than one third of the Parties object, the decision will enter into force only for those Parties which have not objected.
The Bern Convention, formally the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, is the Council of Europe's international treaty on nature conservation, covering most of the natural heritage of the European continent and extending to some African states. It was opened for signature on 19 September 1979 and entered into force on 1 June 1982. It comprises 50 Parties. The governing body of the Bern Convention is the Standing Committee and is composed of Contracting Party representatives.
The European Union (EU) proposal is not the first concerning wolf protection in Europe. In 2022 Switzerland made a similar proposal, which was rejected (report, item 5.2). Proposals concerning other species have also been made. In 2019 Norway proposed altering the protection status of the Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) from Appendix II to Appendix III, which was also rejected (report, item 4.2).
