The return of the sports wolf of the Iberian wolf north of the Duero River could have a legal range again if Congress confirms that petition next Thursday thanks to amendments of the PP approved in the Senate through the Law on the Prevention of Loss and Food Waste.
Last Thursday, nine years of a mass demonstration held in Madrid and convened by more than 200 environmental organizations, Among them Lobo Marley, environmentalist in action and WWF, who demanded greater protection of that species under the motto ‘Live Wolf, Protected Wolf’.
On Friday of last week a regulatory change entered into force in the Bern agreement that reduces the protection status of the wolf, which becomes a species “Protected” and not “strictly protected”after proposing the European Commission. This opens the door to modify the Habitats directive to kill populations of that great carnivore.
The Iberian wolf is a protected species throughout Spain since September 22, 2021at which time he entered the list of wild species in Special Protection (Lespre) regime and in which he ceased to be hunting north of the Duero, with what His sport hunting is prohibited throughout the country.
But that situation could change after the Senate approved on Wednesday two initiatives that Basically pretend that the Iberian wolf ceases to be protected throughout Spain And his hunting north of the Duero is allowed, as was the case more than four years ago.
“Control of lack of control”
The fundamental argument of these initiatives is to reduce LOBEROS TOWAY ATTACKS IN ASTURIAS, CANTABRIA, GALICIA AND THE NORTH OF CASTILLA Y LEÓNwhere about 90% of the Iberian wolves in Spain is concentrated.
One of them, of greater substance for being of legal rank, refers to the law of prevention of losses and food waste, which introduces, thanks to three amendments presented by the PP, the possibility of changing the status of Iberian wolf protection north of Duero to “control the impact that the species is producing in livestock farms and with it the food waste,” according to the popular ones.
The PP justified this legal change indicating that Spanish legislation establishes that Animal bodiesincluding those dead by lobos attacks, must be managed in accordance with health regulations to prevent disease risks.
Lorena Guerra, from the PP, pointed out in the Plenary of the Senate that wolf attacks cause “more than 14,000 cattle sacrificed a year, More than four million kilos of wasted foods And, worst of all, millionaire losses for our farmers. “
Antonio Luengo, also from the PP, advocated “The control of the uncontrol of the wolf” taking that species from the Lespre to allow “a population control” north of the Duero.
On the other hand, the Senate’s plenary also approved a motion by which the Government is urged to exclude the populations of the Iberian wolf north of the Duero river, as well as to review the Spanish strategy of conservation of that great carnivore.
The motion had the favorable votes of the PP, the PNV, Junts, Vox and UPN. These formations have majority in Congressif the orientation of the voted in the Senate remains in this camera.
General suspense
On the other hand, all autonomous communities with herds of Iberian wolves suspend in the conservation management of this species and their coexistence with human activities such as extensive livestock, although Improvements have occurred since 2021 -When this great carnivore was declared a protected species throughout Spain, that is, it cannot be hunted-, mainly in the compensation of damage to farmers thanks to the distribution of public funds for it.
Those are the main conclusions of the Report ‘Towards coexistence or conflict? Analysis of autonomic policies for wolf conservation ‘prepared by WWF Spain and recently released.
The Iberian wolf is now in 12 autonomous communities, divided into three categories: with Historical presence in the last 50 years (Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, and Galicia), which bring together 95% of the herds; Recent recolonization in the last decade (Castilla-La Mancha, Community of Madrid, La Rioja and the Basque Country), and with a sporadic presence of loose specimens (Aragon, Catalonia and Extremadura).
The WWF report analyzes the coexistence of the wolf with the livestock activities in 11 autonomous communities, all those mentioned except Extremadura and including Andalusia, which Until recently, it had an isolated population in Sierra Morena (Jaén), the most south of the Peninsula, but is now officially extinct.
Coexistence with farmers
The analysis is based on four parameters: the prevention of damage from the wolf to the livestock cabin (with mastiff dogs, fenced, electric shepherds, etc.), the compensation of damage in cases of attacks (premium the wolf to facilitate dialogue between affected people) and the Planning and conservation (A monitoring of lobos populations, the fight against poaching or the existence of plans to preserve the species).
Each of those sections is valued with a maximum of 100%, That is, paradoxically, the minimum desirable by WWF for a good coexistence between wolves and livestock activities.
Only an autonomous community is on the right track, which is Catalonia, with a 81% average notealthough it lacks reproductive herds. This high qualification is because, after receiving the first wolves, he activated a social table in 2023 that works proactively in coexistence with the farmers.
Instead, Three communities receive a ‘dissatisfactory’ note (Andalusia, with 28%; Aragon, 44%, and Castilla-La Mancha, 49%).
The communities with historical presence of wolves They obtain disparate notes: 55% Castilla y León, 56% Asturias, 58% Cantabria and 63% Galicia. Other valuations correspond to Madrid (56%), La Rioja (58%) and the Basque deputations of Biscay (60%) and Álava (71%).
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