After years of pressure from the EPP Group, the European Parliament has today voted to amend the protection status of wolves under the EU Habitats Directive.
“Farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief. We have listened to their concerns and delivered real change at the European level to address today’s reality and protect rural livelihoods,” says Herbert Dorfmann MEP, EPP Group Spokesman in the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee.
“The Habitats Directive has been a clear success, helping the wolf population recover from near extinction to over 20,000 individuals across the continent. But now it’s time to adapt to today’s reality. This means balancing our conservation efforts with protecting farmers,” Dorfmann continued.
The EPP Group now expects Member States to urgently use this new flexibility to implement regionally tailored approaches that will give farmers and rural communities the protection they desperately need.
“With this revised approach, the responsibility for implementing management plans will rest with the Member States, allowing them to tailor their strategies to the specific needs of their regions. This flexibility will facilitate a more adaptive and effective management of wolf populations, leading to better outcomes for both humans and wildlife, and providing farmers with the tools they need to protect their livestock and maintain their livelihoods,” says MEP Esther Herranz García, who leads the file on behalf of the EPP Group in the Parliament’s Environment Committee.
Fonte: EPP Group
