Stockholm – A Swedish court has halted all planned licensed wolf hunting for 2026. This ruling affects all five counties where hunting was set to commence on January 2.
The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, the nation’s largest environmental organization, contested the county administrative boards’ approval of licensed hunting, asserting that the government had facilitated the potential for widespread and illegal hunting of a protected and critically endangered species.
The Swedish government’s controversial decision to reduce the reference value for a healthy wolf population from 300 to 170 has faced strong criticism from the EU. The European Commission deems this decision unscientific and warns it jeopardizes the species’ long-term survival.
The Administrative Court in Luleå stated that the county administrative boards failed to demonstrate that the hunting would not hinder the maintenance of a favorable conservation status for the wolf population in Sweden.
The County Administrative Board acts as the government’s representative in each county.
Minister for Rural Affairs Peter Kullgren believes this is not the final outcome and anticipates an appeal against the decision.
(15 December)
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