“Handlungsleitfaden Managementplan Wolf” (Wolf Management Plan – Handbook), Baden-Württemberg Environmental Ministry

Central European flatland wolves have returned to Baden-Württemberg (BW) after about 200 years of absence. Between 2015 and 2021, 10 wolves were detected in BW. 4 have been killed. Since 2018, four lone male wolves have been detected in the Black Forest and classified as territorial. Two have been killed in car accidents and two remain. The local population has to learn how to coexist with wolves after their return.

Main needs included handling emotional effects, prioritizing fears and concerns, not playing down realistic danger, and avoiding wolf attacks. Main concerns included hobby- and part-time-farmers who do not have the time or labour capacity to install protective measures and who may need to give up farming if wolves return to their area. Grazing animals are easy prey for wolves, who often kill more than they eat. Pastures and grazing animals are part of the Black Forest’s environment and culture.

To protect the wolves and grazing animals alike, BW implements both passive and active monitoring on population distribution, size, and social structure. The Environmental Ministry of BW is responsible for this monitoring. To mitigate emotional effects and fears, the ministry prioritizes transparency and communication with the population. The ministry is working to help with the learning curve and ensure that all implementation groups are well trained and informed.

The Environmental Ministry funds the FVA to monitor wolves using an adapted version of the Status and Conservation of the Alpine Lynx Population (SCALP) criteria. This includes passive and active monitoring, which investigate reports and track frequently detected wolves. The ministry funds the FVA to offer free protection advisory services and to train implementation groups to help with the learning curve. The state has established basic as well as recommended protection measures for farmers.

The Ministry funds the FVA for training and advisory services for local implementers. AG Lynx and Wolf, a think tank who establish goals for communication and information transfer, also support training and advising. The state supported a collaboration between BW State Sheep Breeders’ Association (LSV) and BW Nature Conservation Association (NABU) from 2015-2017 and 2018-2020 to develop local herd protection measures. For active tracking, the FVA collaborates with local interest groups.

The Black Forest is a designated wolf prevention support area due to its resident wolves. FVA herd protection advice is accessible and education opportunities are available for local administrative authorities. The state has established and funds effective protective measures but implementation is difficult for small-scale pasture farmers. BW monitors wolf populations and works together with local interest groups. For transparency, the Wolf Report BW is released every year with new findings.

BW funds protection measures but labour capacity issues for small scale farmers means that they are not able to keep up with fence construction/fitting, guard dogs, etc. Grazing animals are easy prey, especially if measures are not implemented. The wolf is a well known cultural symbol, so all responses to fears must be both scientifically and emotionally sound. The FVA must ensure all are well informed and mitigate confusion and emotional effects.

BW has learned the importance of effective monitoring and transparency. All monitoring data is therefore collected into a protected database. In addition to information distribution and press releases, the FVA has official communication guidelines to ensure local safety and satisfaction. For herd safety, basic protection measures (fencing and guard dogs) are usually enough. The goal is for universal implementation of basic measures.