Conservation groups urge joint Portugal-Spain strategy for Iberian wolf

Conservation organisations Green Impact ETS, Rewilding Portugal and Fondo para la Protección del Lobo Ibérico are urging Portugal and Spain to jointly manage the Iberian wolf as a single cross-border population. While Portugal has protected wolves nationwide since 1988, Spain removed those north of the Douro from protection in 2025, allowing culls in regions bordering Portugal. The groups say habitat loss, poaching and weak enforcement have already shrunk the species' range by roughly 20% in two decades, and want a binational strategy modelled on the Iberian lynx recovery programme, backed by EU funding and coordinated monitoring.