The EU Habitats Directive and Wolf Conservation and Management on the Iberian Peninsula: A Legal Perspective

Abstract

The focus of this legal paper is on the implications of the EU Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (Habitats Directive) for wolf conservation and management in Portugal and Spain. It addresses the (potential) relevance of both the area protection and the generic species protection rules from the Directive. Special attention is paid to legal issues raised by the range expansion of the northwest Iberian wolf population beyond the Duero River (both south and east), the immigration of wolves from France, the looming extinction of the Sierra Morena population, and the need for transboundary cooperation.

Keywords: Habitats Directive, wolf, transboundary cooperation, wildlife, biodiversity