– This means that Norwegian wolf policy is not in line with the Bern Convention. It is particularly serious to break an international environmental agreement that we have signed. Norway pursues an aggressive policy against critically endangered wolves and I would say that we pursue an eradication policy, says Siri Martinsen in Noah. According to her and Noah, the Bern Convention opens a case against Norway and Norwegian wolf policy. The government itself does not believe that Norway’s management of wolves violates the Bern Convention. That’s what climate and environment minister Tore O. Sandvik says. This is the Bern Convention The Bern Convention is a binding international agreement on the protection of wild plants and animals and their natural habitat. It was adopted in 1979 and ratified by Norway in 1986. As of 2016, it has been recommended by 45 European countries, the EU and five African states. This nature conservation agreement is a treaty that binds the countries, and was the first international agreement to protect both species and habitat. Source: Store Norske lexikon The Bern Convention’s standing committee has unanimously decided to open a case against Norway, following a presentation from NOAH about the wolf policy in Norway, writes NTB. Downgraded the wolf’s protection silence The protection status of wolves as an animal species was changed earlier this week from “strictly protected” to “protected”. It happened at a meeting in Strasbourg this week where they discussed the Bern Convention. Norway voted in favor. The head of Noah, Siri Martinsen, reacted strongly to Norway voting to give the wolf less protection. This week she traveled down to the Bern Convention to present the complaint she and Noah have about Norwegian wolf policy. – Norwegian wolf policy has already been criticized twice by the agency for the Bern Convention, says Martinsen. Siri Martinsen, head of Noah, expects the government to take action on the wolf policy after the Bern Convention opens proceedings. – Critical threat Now she expects the government to take this seriously. – We have a nature crisis and Norway is breaking a nature agreement to protect endangered species. The wolf in Norway is only allowed to live in 5 percent of the country. This means that the wolf’s population is so low that it corresponds to being critically endangered on the Norwegian Red List, says Martinsen. She believes that Norway must change its wolf policy from keeping it critically endangered to a policy with better conservation status and coexistence. – The first thing the government must do is to change the decisions of the predatory game commissions, so that there will be no shooting of family groups in the wolf zone, says Martinsen. The downgrading of the protection status was known earlier this week, and there is a little bit of what this means in practice for Norway. The government believes that it will be easier to shoot wolves, but Martinsen and Noah believe the opposite. – Want to cooperate Climate and Environment Minister Tore O. Sandvik tells news that the government takes seriously the fact that there is now an open case against Norway. – We are busy with good international cooperation on nature, and we want to cooperate and contribute so that the convention gets the information it needs, he says. – The government’s view is that we fulfill our obligations under the Bern Convention. This is also the assessment from the Supreme Court. In addition, we have clear instructions from the Storting on how wolf management should be, he says further. Sandvik is clear that the government will investigate the matter further. – Regardless of the protection level of the wolf, Norway will still be obliged to ensure that the wolf survives in Norway and in Scandinavia. Published 06.12.2024, at 13.30 Updated 06.12.2024, at 17.40
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