Open letter: Endangered species should not be included in hunting legislation
Freiburg, 02/02/2026
Initiative by researchers from the Universities of Freiburg and Hohenheim: In an open letter, 20 experts from nine research institutions recommend targeted management instead of blanket approach to hunting of endangered species.
Experts from nine research institutions recommend targeted management instead of a blanket approach to hunting. Photo: AdobeStock_507733463
Whether wolves, beavers or rooks – hunting these protected species can actually exacerbate conflicts with agriculture. Twenty researchers from across Baden-Württemberg point this out in an open letter to politicians. The experts are also critical of incorporating this into hunting law, emphasising that it would make it more difficult to cull problem animals when necessary. In order to reduce conflicts with agriculture and at the same time give these ecologically important species space, they advocate targeted management instead of a blanket approach to hunting. They say that the return of these endangered species to Baden-Württemberg is a success for nature conservation policy.
Hunting can even exacerbate conflicts
Whether it involves grazing animals killed by wolves, flooding caused by beaver dams and crop losses due to rooks, protected animal species can often cause massive conflicts. As a result there is a growing demand for more hunting. “But that can backfire and actually exacerbate the issue,” explains Prof. Dr Marco Heurich, professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology at the University of Freiburg and one of the four initiators of the statement. “When animals in growing populations are shot, they are often quickly replaced by others of the same species.” In the case of wolves in packs, shooting could even lead to more grazing animals being killed, presumably due to a disrupted pack structure when parent animals are killed.
“That can backfire and actually exacerbate the issue. When animals in growing populations are shot, they are often quickly replaced by others of the same species.”
Prof. Dr Marco Heurich
Professor of wildlife ecology and conservation biology, University of Freiburg
Other measures are much more successful, reports co-initiator Prof. Dr Johannes Steidle, animal ecologist at the University of Hohenheim. “Pasture owners in Saxony-Anhalt, for example, use fences and herd protection dogs. As a result, they have had no losses whatsoever in six years with 25,000 grazing animals in a region with a high wolf density.”
Experts also rely on targeted management for beavers and corvids: “Beaver guidelines, beaver officers or orders based on nature conservation law provide a good basis for resolving conflicts without resorting to hunting rights,” says the expert.
In some cases, the targeted hunting of problem animals is unavoidable – and then it must be possible to do so quickly and without bureaucracy in order to protect the farmers affected. The researchers fear that including the species in hunting legislation – as was recently decided for wolves in Baden-Württemberg – will make hunting more difficult, as the species’ protected status will remain unaffected. An application to hunt would therefore have to be dealt with not only by the nature conservation authority, but also by the hunting authority, and numerous affected hunting licence holders would have to be involved.
Affected species have important ecological functions
“Species that were once endangered, such as the rook, are once again found in large numbers in Baden-Württemberg, and species that had become extinct in the region, such as the wolf and beaver, have returned. And that is a great success for nature conservation policy,” says Prof. Dr Lars Krogmann, Scientific Directorate, Natural History Museum Stuttgart and Professor at the University of Hohenheim. “These animals are important key ecological species. The wolf, for example, promotes tree regeneration in forests, while the beaver helps to keep wetlands open.”
The United Nations has declared 2021 to 2030 the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and Germany and the EU have also committed to this agenda. “Baden-Württemberg can be proud of its achievements in nature conservation and should not jeopardise them,” says Krogmann.