Wolves in Carinthia: victory of common sense or impending danger?

Wolves in Carinthia: victory of common sense or impending danger?

Kärnten, Österreich - The latest decision of the EU to reduce the protection status of the wolves ensures bitter discussions and an outcry among the farmers in Carinthia. As the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture reports, this decision was celebrated as a "victory of the common sense". President Siegfried Huber sees the uncontrolled spread of the wolves as no longer portable. He and other agricultural representatives are now calling for immediate changes to the legal framework, in particular the Bern Convention and the FFH directive to relieve the pasture economy. In Europe, wolf population has grown to around 20,300 animals, which leads to around 65,000 torn farm animals annually.

reactions of agriculture

The reactions to the decision are consistently positive from a agricultural perspective. Agricultural officer Martin Gruber described the development as the "important first step" for an EU-wide wolf management. The news was also celebrated on the political level: Agriculture Minister Norbert Tettschnig sees a milestone for a easier regulation of the large -scale carpenter. Painting warned that the problem goes far beyond animal losses because wolves would increasingly lose their fear of people. In this context, he emphasized the need to prevent wolf attacks to guarantee the safety of the population.

However, the Situation exacerbates how long it could take for the legal framework to actually be adjusted. According to the LK President Huber, a veto contestation of the decision within three months could still have an effect, but is considered unlikely. Therefore, it remains to be seen how quickly the EU and its member states will act. While the supporters are pushing to relax the protection status, environmental associations such as the WWF warn of the possible negative consequences of this decision and instead demand increased herd protection. WWF expert Christian Pichler described the decision as a "wrong signal" and called for more scientifically sound measures to protect the herds.

Development shows an imbalance between the interests of agriculture and species protection, and the pressure on the EU grows to finally find a solution that does justice to both sides. The coming weeks will be decisive to see whether the changes to the guidelines are actually implemented and what other steps the European institutions take.