The wolf continues to be strictly protected in Europe. This decision by the Council of Europe’s relevant committee is for the fourth time dismissing a motion by Switzerland to weaken the protection of the grey predators.
Receives support by the Council of Europe: the wolf.
© Michael Röth
One year ago the Swiss Government presented a proposal to amend the Bern Convention in order to facilitate the culling of wolves. Nature protection NGOs, among them EuroNatur, strongly criticized this attempt. EuroNatur now welcomes that the Council of Europe’s expert committee once again supports the strict protection of wolves in Europe with a clear majority. EuroNatur is calling on the Swiss Government to nonetheless remain a Contracting Party of the Bern Convention. The government had threatened that Switzerland would leave the Convention, if the other signatory countries would reject their proposal.
"Switzerland has often led the way in nature protection. To turn their back on the Convention would be a fatal signal for other countries and a setback for species conservation in Europe", says EuroNatur's director Gabriel Schwaderer. According to the Bern Convention, the wolf is a strictly protected species and may only be killed in exceptional cases.
Read more on EuroNatur’s work to protect the wolves in Europe.