Alpine nations sign joint action plan for cross-border wolf management

Representatives from Austria, Italy, and Slovenia have signed a joint action plan for cross-border wolf management following the first Alpine Wolf Summit held in Klagenfurt, Austria. The initiative aims to address the growing wolf population in Europe, which has increased conflicts for livestock farmers and mountain hut operators due to rising incidents of livestock predation.

The action plan proposes unified monitoring, a collective assessment of wolf populations across the Alpine region, and coordinated management and removal strategies. Proponents argue that because wolf populations do not respect administrative borders, management must be viewed across the entire Alpine arc rather than on a national or regional basis.

This coordination follows a change in EU law, where the wolf's status was moved from “strictly protected” to “protected” in 2025. While this provides member states with more flexibility to manage populations, they must still ensure a favorable conservation status. Officials noted that current conservation levels in Austria are considered unsatisfactory, necessitating a broader, coordinated approach to prevent wolves from migrating into neighboring regions like Carinthia.