The Animalist Party Pacma has registered a broad document of allegations against the proposed modification of the II Wolf Management Plan in the Principality of Asturias. In this document, it also calls for the adoption of immediate precautionary measures to halt any extraction of specimens until there is an independent scientific evaluation that certifies a favorable conservation status for the species.
The animalist party maintains that the text prepared by the Ministry of Rural Affairs and Agricultural Policy of the Asturian Government "lacks sufficient scientific basis" and that it conflicts with EU regulations, as well as with the most recent jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Spanish Supreme Court.
Pacma argues that the Iberian wolf remains in an "unfavorable-inadequate" conservation status in all biogeographic regions of the State, relying on the latest official reports and several scientific studies cited in its allegations. It also warns about the low genetic variability of the Iberian population and the danger that continuing to authorize lethal controls and extraction quotas would pose.
The party recalls that the Habitats Directive obliges to ensure a favorable conservation status before allowing any type of exploitation or population control, and emphasizes that Asturias cannot evaluate the wolf situation solely on an autonomous scale, but must consider the entire Iberian population and its cross-border nature with Portugal.
In the document, Pacma also refutes the thesis that the elimination of wolves reduces attacks on livestock. In its opinion, various scientific studies and official data show that extractions do not decrease damages and, in many cases, even increase them by disrupting packs.
Pacma reiterates that the truly effective measures involve "strengthening prevention through electrified fences, surveillance, the presence of shepherds, and public aid for livestock protection."
Among the demands made to the Principality, the animalist party calls for the abolition of the extraction quota system provided for in the draft plan, the immediate precautionary suspension of wolf hunting and controls, and the commissioning of an independent scientific report with the participation of universities and specialized entities such as Secem.