Overview

• The federal environment ministry notified the EU that the wolf’s conservation status is favourable in the continental biogeographical region, extending July’s Atlantic finding so that nearly all of Germany is covered except Alpine border areas.
• Officials said the decision allows states to address problem animals more easily, with Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer and state ministers urging rapid changes to the Federal Hunting Act and Nature Conservation Act to permit legally secure removals.
• Several states have moved to place wolves under hunting law, including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Hesse, while Bavaria has decided to do so and is preparing specific management concepts once federal rules are updated.
• Environmental groups such as WWF and NABU dispute the new assessment and its methodology, warning against abandoning data-driven species protection even as livestock losses have recently declined in some metrics.
• No assessment was issued for the Alpine region, drawing criticism from Bavarian officials who argue that summer grazing areas are hard to protect and need clear authorization for removals.