The European Court of Justice has ruled against a Spanish region’s decision to allow the hunting of a limited number of wolves. The court stated that the wolf cannot be hunted at a regional level if its conservation status nationally is “unfavorable.” The ruling comes after the regional government of Castile and Leon permitted the hunting of the Iberian wolf, a move that was challenged by the Association for the Conservation and Study of the Iberian Wolf.
The court found that the regional hunting plan, which allowed for the hunting of 339 wolves, did not consider the unfavorable conservation status of wolves in Spain. It emphasized that when a species is in poor conservation status, national authorities have the right to ban hunting altogether. The case will go back to the Spanish court, which is expected to enforce the ECJ’s ruling against the hunting plan.
Overall, this decision highlights the importance of protecting endangered species and aligning with EU directives for conservation efforts.
rmt/wmr (AFP, dpa)
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