Continuing recovery of wolves in Europe

What is it about?

We report that wolves are continuing to make a remarkable comeback across Europe, with their population growing to over 21,500 individuals by 2022–a 58% increase in a decade. This is a notable conservation success, particularly in a region heavily shaped by human activity, from agriculture to urbanization. Improved monitoring methods have helped us track their recovery, although these tools vary in quality and extent across countries. Annually, wolves kill around 56,000 domestic animals in the EU, leading to annual costs of about 17 million EUR for damage compensation. Yet, wolves may also bring potential benefits, such as reducing car accidents with wild ungulates and creating opportunities for ecotourism, though these positive impacts are often overlooked. Legal protections, including the EU Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention, along with conservation programs, such as the LIFE programs, have been key to supporting wolf recovery. However, the coexistence of wolves with human activities, notably farming and hunting, remains a challenge and requires navigating complex social, economic, and political contexts.

Featured Image

Photo by Hans Veth on Unsplash

Photo by Hans Veth on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The research highlights the expansion of wolves across most of mainland Europe and the challenges of coexistence in human-dominated landscapes. This study provides data to inform ongoing discussions about how to balance wolf conservation with human activities and land use. The photo is a wolf on agricultural plains in northern Greece. Photo credit: Seryios Papaioannou.