Wolves

'We must learn to live alongside wolves'

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After an absence of approximately 150 years, the wolf has re-established itself in the Netherlands. This dossier provides you with the latest news, background information and results of Wageningen University & Research on wolves in the Netherlands.

Wageningen University & Research monitors the return of the wolf through DNA research. Faeces that are found are tested for DNA in our labs, to determine if they are wolf-faeces, and if so, from which specific animal. To this end, we collaborate with the German research institute Senckenberg though the CEwolf-consortium. This information allows provincial governments to take substantiated decisions on their policies regarding the wolf. Most wolves in the Netherlands lead a roaming existence, but the first female wolf has now settled on the Veluwe.

Fauna consultants also extract DNA from sheep suspected to have been slain by a wolf. Our research reveals whether a wolf is indeed the predator responsible for the sheep’s death within a month: the BIJ12 website documents these instances and the DNA results (only in Dutch). Each quarter a genetic profile is generates for these cases, to enable individual identification.

This is how our research works

Ecological genetics

Molecular genetic techniques are becoming increasingly important for the study of biodiversity and nature conservation.

News about wolves

wolf lying down in nature

Ecological and legal framework for the wolf population in the Netherlands now available

Clear ecological and legal favourable reference values for the wolf population in the Netherlands are now in place. This framework is set out in a research report by Wageningen University & Research (WUR), in collaboration with Tilburg University and the Belgian Research Institute for Nature and Forest, commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature (LVVN). The study shows that the Netherlands are legally required to contribute between 23 and 56 wolf packs. WUR emphasises that, when developing wolf policy, not only ecological and legal aspects matter, but also the social and socio-economic consequences for, among others, agriculture, recreation, and housing, which have not yet been studied. These aspects were not included in this research.

Wolf looking at its surroundings

Waar kan de wolf zich in de toekomst in Nederland vestigen?

De wolf is enkele jaren geleden teruggekeerd naar Nederland. Bij de terugkeer van een roofdier als de wolf in Nederland – een land met veel mensen en veel vee - is het wenselijk om een inschatting te maken waar wolven zich in de toekomst zouden kunnen vestigen. Beleidsmakers, bestuurders en de samenleving kunnen zich daardoor beter voorbereiden. Onderzoekers van Wageningen University & Research (WUR) deden in opdracht van het Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit (LNV) een habitatgeschiktheidsanalyse van Nederland voor de wolf.

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Questions about this topic?

VFP (Vincent) Koperdraat

Media Relations / Spokesperson

What other animal research does WUR do?

How do we reverse the loss of biodiversity? That's one of the questions our scientists are finding answers to.

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