They’ve got a formidable reputation, but things are looking a little brighter for wolves in Europe thanks to new conservation initiatives across the continent.

Thanks to a lot of factors – including hunting and culling – the population of wolves declined over the decades, with the carnivorous mammals in serious decline and at risk of extinction.

In fact, according to a recent study published in the journal Sustainability and Transformation, back in the year 2000 only one pack of wolves (Canis lupus) remained in Germany, where they once thrived.

However, according to the researchers, as we move into the second half of this decade, things are looking up for these big canines.

There are many reasons why wolves found themselves endangered.

Firstly, the natural habitats of wolves and ecosystems have been threatened by our incessant desire to build more and more, on wider areas. As their own habitat is destroyed, so is that of the creatures that they would naturally prey on, as the researchers explain in their paper:

“In Europe, wildlife has to share space with a human population of roughly 450 million people in a highly anthropized landscape where people grow crops, raise livestock, hunt wild game, and more broadly shape the landscape through urbanization, energy production, industries, and transport infrastructures.”

Moreover, in the less urbanized areas, much of the forest and wild habitats have been razed in favor of farmland. And thanks to their predatory prowess, livestock farmers really aren’t a fan of the canines, leading to widespread hunting and culling:

“Annually, wolves kill around 56,000 domestic animals in the EU, leading to annual costs of about 17 million EUR for damage compensation.”

Add to this the historic desirability of their fur, and wolves have had an all-round bad time in Europe until recently.

So what changed? Well, as our knowledge of climate change and ecosystems grew, we as a species have begun to understand the importance not only of rewilding and the restoration of historic ecosystems, but the more natural and sustainable ways of taking care of our lands too.

Take Scotland for example, where red deer have run rife since the extinction of wolves in the highlands. By reintroducing the deer’s only natural predator – the wolf – conservationists have made a huge impact on the UK’s climate targets. That’s because red deer eat tree saplings, and the ballooned numbers of deer meant large scale forest loss.

As the number of deer is brought back under control, trees are allowed to grow – and those trees are pivotal to absorbing significant amounts of carbon every year.

With this in mind, as the researchers note, European governmental and conservation bodies have taken a stand to reintroduce wolves, with massive benefits also including the reduction of road traffic accidents thanks to the wolves preying on troublesome species, and the future possibilities of wildlife tourism (the grey wolf is the national animal of several European countries, after all).

And the results of these initiatives – including the EU Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention – has been incredible:

“We report that wolves are continuing to make a remarkable comeback across Europe, with their population growing to over 21,500 individuals by 2022–a 58% increase in a decade. This is a notable conservation success, particularly in a region heavily shaped by human activity, from agriculture to urbanization.”

In Germany, for example, the researchers note that that one wolf back back in 2000 has now increased to 184 packs and 47 pairs in 2022. In fact, wolf numbers have significantly increased across 19 European countries, with a big improvement in monitoring measures as the species’ recovery continues.

Though it’s not all smooth sailing, with some of the issues that led to wolves’ bad reputation in the first place prevailing across Europe, overall the signs are all pointing towards an overall successful reintroduction of the big dogs.

And if we are to care for our planet first, schemes like this are a priority.

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