“We have updated and changed the compensation rules for livestock producers affected, who are at the forefront of supporting a collective decision to protect this rare animal, the Iberian wolf,” stated António Leitão Amaro at a press conference following the weekly Council of Ministers meeting.
The official noted that in certain areas of the country, such as the Trás-os-Montes region, “attacks by the Iberian wolf on livestock and farming productions have been increasing.”
“To maintain this protection, we must also care for those negatively impacted, providing compensation for this significant, albeit occasional, impact when their animals are attacked by the Iberian wolf,” he emphasized.
Leitão Amaro pointed out that protecting the Iberian wolf also requires “defending human livelihoods and conditions.”
“It is neither eco-fundamentalism nor eco-denialism. It is about balance. We aim to protect the environment, animal species, and people’s quality and standard of living,” he stated.
The reversal of the decline of wolves in Portugal is the aim of the “Alcateia Program 2025-2035,” which includes habitat recovery and protection, the presence of food, and reducing human conflict.
The “Alcateia Program” primarily applies to the areas where wolves are present in Portugal, particularly the northern region of the mainland, but it also extends further to the southern interior, reaching the Portalegre district.
It has four strategic objectives: ensuring more favorable ecological conditions for wolf conservation, improving coexistence with human activities, enhancing monitoring and knowledge, and raising awareness for conservation.
The program was presented in July by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) at the Ministry of Environment, aiming for the recovery and protection of habitats where wolves exist, and those from which they have disappeared in recent years.
The initiative also seeks to promote wild prey such as deer and reduce unnatural mortality causes.
The program includes conservation and recovery of ecological corridors, strengthening links to wolf areas in Portugal and Spain, and reducing conflict associated with wolf attacks on animals like sheep, improving and streamlining the compensation system and promoting better livestock protection.
The government aims to enhance awareness, surveillance, and monitoring to “promote greater awareness of the importance of wolf conservation and prevent illegal activities,” such as setting traps and poison baits.
Promoting the cultural and economic value of wolves, so the species’ presence benefits communities, is another goal, as is improving cooperation with Spain to implement measures that enhance connectivity between wolf areas.
