WWF warns: weaker wolf protection threatens biodiversity in Austria!

WWF warns: weaker wolf protection threatens biodiversity in Austria!

Laimgrubengasse 10, 1060 Wien, Österreich - The nature conservation organization WWF Austria has spoken out sharp criticism of the reduction in protection status for wolves. According to WWF Austria signaling the Bern Convention a dangerous change in species protection. WWF expert Christian Pichler described the decision as a populist attack and instead called for a well thought-out herd protection offensive. The reduced protection level also opens the door to weaken the FFH guideline, which could result in far-reaching negative consequences for other threatening species in the EU. In addition, Austria is far from a favorable state of preservation with only five tungsten, which continues to exclude regular hunting of the wolf.

On Tuesday, the signing states of the Bern Convention voted for the reduction of the protection status of wolves, which now laid the basis for a faster shooting. As Bluewin reports in the future no longer considered "strictly protected", but only as "protected". This decision enables so -called inventory management, which means that the hurdles for shooting permits decrease and a hunting is fundamentally possible, as long as the animals are not classified as a danger to humans or grazing animals. The EU Commission is now being asked to develop concrete proposals for future hunting rules that will be advised by the 27 Member States and the European Parliament in the coming months.

The new regulation represents a drastic change in the protection of wolves and could endanger the survival of these animals in the long term. While the supporters argue that controlled handling of the wolf population is necessary, the WWF warns that reduced protection status could not only accompany the legal hunt through increasingly illegal killings, but also to a great reduction in the number of wolves that migrate from neighboring countries.