Wolf (Canis lupus)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > terrestrial mammal > Carnivorous mammal |
| Red List Status: | Regionally Extinct (GB scale) (Not Relevant) [RE(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Canis lupus |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Mathews & Harrower, 2020 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | While the species is extinct, it is unlikely the conditions for its reintroduction will be met in the foreseeable future. Issues surrounding habitat availability and human-wildlife conflict make an attempt unfeasible. The lack of available habitat would cause the population to likely be unable to maintain genetic diversity without ongoing support. Evidence from Europe suggests human-wildlife conflict issues are likely and would result in poor public perception of the species. There are other, more plausible species such as the Eurasian lynx, which could fill a comparable ecological niche to provide similar ecosystem services. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | If it were feasible to reintroduce this species, it would depend on species-specific actions. However, as it is not, no species-specific actions are necessary. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Yes, but the scale at which it would require landscape changes is not feasible or sustainable. |
Species Assessment
Not relevant as no Key Actions defined.
Key Actions
No Key Actions Defined
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.