Cantabria Minister accuses Spanish Ministry of falsifying wolf data

María Jesús Susinos, the Cantabrian Minister for Rural Development and Livestock, has accused the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of attempting to “falsify data” regarding wolf populations.

The dispute follows statements by State Secretary for the Environment, Hugo Morán, who claimed that population data provided by autonomous communities does not reflect reality and is based on “political” rather than “scientific” criteria. Morán suggested that Spain would not submit reports to Brussels that do not align with actual conservation status.

Susinos countered that the central government is prioritizing “ideological criteria” over the reality faced by livestock farmers and is ignoring information provided by regional governments where the species is present. She defended the professional rigor of Cantabrian technical staff and questioned the scientific basis of the Ministry’s claims.