Meeting of Environmental Officials - Recommendations for Wolf Hunting: Environmental Preservation in Germany's Constitution?
A swift response to the damage caused by grazing animals in Lower Saxony requires urgent adjustments to the current legal arrangements for wolf culls. This decision was made at a meeting of the Environmental Ministers' Conference (UMK) held in Bad Dürkheim, Rhineland-Palatinate. As stated by the chair of the conference, Katrin Eder (Greens), the central practice guide for these culls will be revised by August.
Last year, the conference decided on an expedited culling regulation for regions experiencing increased wolf attacks. The application of this procedure in Lower Saxony led to the Higher Administrative Court in Lüneburg ruling that the shooting of a wolf in the Hanover region was deemed unlawful.
The State Secretary at the Federal Environment Ministry, Stefan Tidow, emphasized that "dangerous wolves" should be culled more swiftly than previously. The Lüneburg Administrative Court has provided insight on how these cull orders should be designed. Eder cautioned against getting overwhelmed in philosophical debates.
While she believes it's a long road until a new constitutional task for climate protection is established, there are plans to discuss this further. It's not just a financial matter for the federal government and the states, it's also a political and legal issue. In a resolution passed in Bad Dürkheim, the ministers' conference agreed to examine the feasibility of creating a new community responsibility for climate protection and adaptation.
The existing community tasks, as per the Basic Law, are to enhance the regional economic structure and to cultivate the agricultural and coastal protection structures. Due to the significant hurdles involved in establishing a new constitutional task, Tidow described it as a "thick board." Nevertheless, the federal environment ministry considers the need for this initiative, as expressed by Tidow. A legal opinion on this matter is almost ready. This topic will be under discussion at the next UMK.
Meanwhile, the environment ministers are also considering whether a deposit for lithium batteries could be a sensible approach. The increasing number of fires in recycling facilities can be attributed to them being carelessly disposed of, often leading to fires in these plants. North Rhine-Westphalian minister Oliver Krischer (Greens) proposed this suggestion.
