Among others, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation had appealed the county administrative boards' decision on licensed hunting, arguing that "the government has opened the door to extensive and illegal licensed hunting of a protected and highly endangered species."
The government's decision to lower the so-called reference value, the number of wolves needed for a favourable conservation status, from 300 to 170 animals, has previously received sharp criticism from the EU. The EU Commission believes that the decision is unscientific and risks the species' long-term viability.
“Have the burden of proof”
It is the County Administrative Board that has the burden of proof that all such hunting of these protected species does not risk deteriorating their favorable conservation status, says Victoria Bäckström, a lawyer at the Administrative Court in Luleå who chaired the case.
Peter Kullgren notes that the ruling has not yet become legally binding and that the issue is currently outside the government's hands. But he expects the decision to be appealed.
In the event of an appeal, the respective county administrative board has the opportunity to present additional arguments, he says.
I would be very surprised if this discussion doesn't continue in higher levels. We'll see what the outcome is.
“Strong time pressure”
The Administrative Court's decision was not unanimous, with one juror wanting to reject the appeals. The decision was made under strong time pressure as the hunt was supposed to have started on January 2nd.
"It has been an unusually short period of time, but we thought it was important to announce the decision before the planned start of the hunt. Now the county administrative boards can of course appeal this decision to the Court of Appeal in Sundsvall," says Victoria Bäckström.
The decision on licensed hunting was made in November and according to it, 48 animals were to be shot in five counties: Örebro, Västmanland, Dalarna, Västra Götaland and Södermanland. However, the Värmland County Administrative Board has decided that there will be no wolf hunting in 2026, as the population in the county has decreased.
TT has been in contact with several of the county administrative boards, who state that they will analyze the decision before announcing how they will proceed.
In June, the government decided that the Swedish minimum level for wolves should be lowered from 300 to 170 animals.
The so-called reference value for a population size is the lowest number of individuals that is deemed necessary at the national level without the species becoming extinct.
In November, criticism came from the European Commission, which urged Sweden to revise the decision. The Commission believes that Sweden's minimum limit of 170 wolves is unscientific and risks the species' long-term viability.
The same month, the county administrative boards decided on the 2026 license hunt, where the allocation was determined to 48 animals in five counties.
In early December, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation appealed the county administrative boards' decision. The organization believed that it "contradicts both science and EU law" and risks "irreversible damage to the wolf population."
