Conference of Environment Ministers in Saarbrücken: Clear rules for wolf management!

Conference of Environment Ministers in Saarbrücken: Clear rules for wolf management!

The eagerly awaited Environment Ministers' Conference begins in Saarbrücken on November 12, 2025. The focus of the discussions is how to deal with the wolf, whose return has sparked a lot of discussion in Germany in recent years. The Association for the Promotion of German Sheep Husbandry calls for clear and legally secure rules for active wolf management. Wendelin Schmücker, a spokesman for the club, commented on this in an interview with Radio Oberland.

A central problem that will be addressed in today's meeting is the current legal situation: A wolf must kill several animals before an exemption for shooting them can be granted. This regulation means that permissions that are often granted are revoked by courts based on the Nature Conservation Act and European law. Schmücker also criticized the lack of reliable figures on the wolf population, which further complicates these challenges. Without reliable data, legally compliant inventory regulation remains a difficult goal to achieve.

Legal framework and past developments

But how did this situation come about? The protection of wolves in Germany is regulated by the Federal Nature Conservation Act (BNatSchG). This first came into force on December 24, 1976 and has given the wolf special protection since August 31, 1980. After reunification in 1990, the wolf was removed from hunting laws in all federal states and has been subject to strict protection ever since. The last revision of the BNatSchG dates back to March 1, 2010 and brought with it some important changes.

The law does allow exceptions to the ban on killing if serious economic damage needs to be averted. Nevertheless, hunting remains bound to strict regulations. Hybrids between wolves and dogs must be identified by the responsible authorities, although feeding wolves is punished as an administrative offense. These regulations are intended to better control interactions between wolves and humans while minimizing risks to livestock.

Critical voices and future challenges

Today's conference in Saarbrücken is intended to discuss various points of view and find solutions that meet both the needs of animal owners and the guarantees of species protection. It is urgently necessary to find ways for wolves and humans to live together harmoniously.

It remains to be seen how the discussion will go today and what decisions will ultimately be made. What is clear, however, is that the wolf, often viewed as a symbol of nature worthy of protection, also faces a growing challenge for agriculture. The question of how to deal with this species of wild animal will certainly be on the agenda for a long time.

For further information on the legal basis and regulations for dealing with wolves, read wolfcenter.de.