The Consejo de Gobierno of the Principality of Asturias approved a limit on wolf culls on 24 August 2026. From September 2026, up to 67 animals may be removed under a restarted population control programme. The announcement immediately drew reactions from the livestock sector and conservationists.
According to Government of the Principality of Asturias says the measure forms part of the revision of the II Plan de Gestión del Lobo and aims to reconcile species protection with the continuation of extensive grazing. Interventions are to take place where clusters of documented livestock attacks occur; monitoring and reporting requirements are also planned. The regional government will set out the details of the geographical and timing arrangements once the formal steps have been completed.
Asturias Ganadera criticised the debate’s fixation on a number. What mattered, it said, were “regular, immediately available checks” and a graduated approach combining prevention, Herd protection and targeted interventions. The association said, in its own words, that the issue was not “67, 10 or 150” culls, but reliable management of conflicts between wolves and grazing livestock. The organisation also calls for prompt compensation and funding for effective protective measures.
Conservation groups such as Grupo Lobo Asturias condemned the decision as misguided. They accuse the regional government of ignoring scientific evidence and neglecting preventive measures. The group’s representatives stressed that cull numbers alone are no substitute for consistent herd protection and close monitoring. In Oviedo members of Grupo Lobo Asturias gathered to protest against the announced policy.
Politically, the decision reflects the long-standing, often fraught search for a workable balance between the species’ protected status and the interests of the livestock sector. In particular, it remains disputed whether a limit on culls is more effective than flexible interventions triggered in areas with concentrations of damage. What is clear is that acceptance and effectiveness will be judged by how the policy works in practice – from defining intervention criteria and prioritising areas to ensuring transparent monitoring. The advisory body on wolf management met on Monday, with visibly opposing positions from agriculture and conservation; further steps are to be decided after the formal amendments to the plan.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).