The development of the program "must be based on the evaluation and updating of the Action Plan for the Conservation of the Wolf in Portugal", from 2017, which the Government considers not to have had "the expected success".

According to the order, signed by the Minister of Environment and Energy, Maria da Graça Carvalho, "the population situation of the Iberian Wolf in Portugal has been evolving unfavourably, so it is important to review and update the strategies aimed at its conservation".

"The results of the 2019/2021 Iberian Wolf Census, released in December 2024, show a tendency for the geographic distribution areas of the species to contract, which at the beginning of the 20th century was spread from north to south of the country", adds the dispatch.

The census revealed that the area of ​​wolf presence in Portugal has reduced by 20% and that the number of detected packs has decreased by 8%, to 58, in two decades, mainly north of the Douro River.

In Peneda/Gerês there was an increase in packs, from 16 to 24, with a decrease being observed in the three remaining nuclei, mainly in Alvão/Padrela, where the estimated number of packs suffered a reduction of more than 50% (from 13 to six).

"Mortality from human causes" (trampling, snares, shooting, poisoning) and attacks on livestock, which leads to a lower tolerance to their presence, the low availability of wild prey or the installation of communication and energy production infrastructures are among the main factors that harm wolf conservation.

According to the Government, it is also necessary to update legislation from August 2016 on the legal regime for the conservation of the species, to "keep in force the mechanisms for compensating livestock producers in the event of an attack on livestock, in order to compensate for the damage caused and ensure support for conservation efforts while minimising the risk of conflict between economic activities and conservation objectives."

The proposal for the Alcateia 2025-2035 Program will be submitted to public consultation for 30 days and may include contributions received. Approval will be by Resolution of the Council of Ministers and the program "will include a multi-annual financing forecast with a view to its effective implementation", says the dispatch.