Finland's Environment Minister Kai Mykkänen (NCP) has welcomed an EU Committee decision to downgrade the protective status of wolves from "strictly protected" to "protected".
Hunting of a protected species may be permitted, while a strictly protected species may only be hunted in exceptional cases — for example if there is a danger to humans or domestic animals.
Finland voted in favour of the move to downgrade the protective status before it was submitted for consideration to the EU's Standing Committee of the Bern Convention in September.
"This solution that will bring more flexibility in terms of the conservation status of the wolf is an important step forward in order that people and wolves can continue to coexist in Finland. This kind of policy on large carnivores is an absolute necessity, as it will allow the hunting of wolves for population management in Finland, which is necessary also for public safety," Mykkänen wrote in a ministry press release in September.
In a statement on Tuesday confirming the downgraded status, the Council of Europe said the change was aimed at better protecting livestock and domestic animals by bringing wolf populations under control.
Last year, the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) reported that Finland's wolf population has increased by around 10 percent per year since 2017, although the figure dropped slightly to between 277 and 321 individuals this year.
Now that the proposal has been approved, the change is likely to enter into force within three months, the commission said.
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