The Swedish government has decided to lower the minimum number of wolves required to ensure the species’ survival in Sweden. The new reference value has been adjusted down from 300 to 170 individuals.

The decision has received sharp criticism from the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), which warns that wolves risk disappearing entirely from Sweden in the long term.

Sweden reports to the EU every six years on the status of endangered species under the Species and Habitats Directive. For this year’s report, the government has instructed the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket) to lower the reference value for wolves – that is, the minimum number of individuals required for the species to survive and persist long-term – from 300 to 170.

According to the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure, there are currently 355 wolves in Sweden.

The reference value indicates how many individuals of a species are minimally needed in a country for the species to be preserved long-term in its natural range. It is used as one of several indicators to assess the species’ conservation status and is reported to the EU under the Species and Habitats Directive. In Sweden’s latest report in 2019, the reference value for wolves was set at 300.

“Needs protection”

The government’s decision to lower the reference value faces strong opposition from environmental and animal protection organizations, which point out that the wolf population in Sweden is already under severe pressure from inbreeding and illegal hunting. The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation argues that the lowered threshold violates both scientific recommendations and EU law.

– The government is making decisions that could lead to wolves disappearing from Sweden in the long term. Lowering the reference value to just 170 individuals from today’s 300 weakens an already critically endangered species, says Beatrice Rindevall, chairperson of the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, in a press release.

– The wolf is critically endangered on the red list and needs protection. It is an explicit requirement that the reference value should be based on scientific grounds, but the government is driven by polarizing threat scenarios instead of facts, she further argues.

“A level that works”

Swedish Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren (Christian Democrats) argues that an excessive wolf population causes significant damage to society – and that wolves today have a negative impact on Swedish food production.

– We can conclude that if we have 170 wolves in Sweden, we’re at a level that simply works.

As a first step, the wolf population will be reduced from the current 355 to 270 individuals – and according to Kullgren, this means that the next wolf hunt will be significantly more extensive than usual.