While the right cries wolf, the Habitats Directive is safe for now

Today, MEPs voted on the downgrading of the protection status of the wolf in the Habitats Directive.

MEP Jutta Paulus, Greens/EFA member of the European Parliament Environment Committee, comments:

“This attack on nature by the EPP follows the playbook of Donald Trump. It ignores scientific evidence and attacks legislation which has been proven to work for decades for no clear gain other than the scoring of cheap populistic points. The downgrading of the protection status of the wolf is bad news for nature. Instead of taking care of farmers and finding a solution, the right decided to push through this measure which will damage biodiversity.   

“Although the downgrading of the protection status of wolves was adopted, we managed to stop right wing forces in their attempts to entirely gut the Habitats Directive. We have managed to preserve the rest of the Directive, but we must remain vigilant. This sets a dangerous precedent.”

“An operation on the beating heart of Europe’s nature conservation should be guided by science not political interests. Weakening wolf protection was never just about one species; it marked a broader assault on the principles of nature conservation. When powerful lobbies win, forests, rivers, and wetlands lose. And this won’t be the last time conservatives target what protects our home.”