Text Wissenschaftlicher Artikel Public Library of Science http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ The recovery of wolves (Canis lupus) across Europe is a notable conservation success in a region with extensive human alteration of landscapes and high human population densities. We provide a comprehensive update on wolf populations in Europe, estimated at over 21,500 individuals by 2022, representing a 58% increase over the past decade. Despite the challenges of high human densities and significant land use for agriculture, industry, and urbanization, wolves have demonstrated remarkable adaptability and increasing population trends in most European countries. Improved monitoring techniques, although varying in quality and scope, have played a crucial role in tracking this recovery. Annually, wolves kill approximately 56,000 domestic animals in the EU, a risk unevenly distributed and differently handled across regions. Damage compensation costs 17 million EUR every year to European countries. Positive economic impacts from wolf presence, such as those related to reducing traffic accidents with wild ungulates or supporting wildlife tourism, remain under studied. Wolf recovery in Europe is supported by diverse policy and legal instruments such as LIFE programs, stakeholder platforms, as well as the EU Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention. Coexisting with newly established wolf populations in Europe entails managing impacts on human activities, including livestock depredation, competition for game, and fear of attacks on humans, amidst varying social and political views on wolf recovery. Sustainable coexistence continues to operate in evolving and complex social, economic, and political landscapes, often characterized by intense debates regarding wolf policies. 2025 Plos Sustainability and Transformation © 2025 Di Bernardi et al. open access doi:10.1371/journal.pstr.0000158 Continuing recovery of wolves in Europe Testo Articolo di rivista Text journal article Large Carnivores Wolf Law Conservation Management Predators Return Lynx Bear Cecilia Di Bernardi Guillaume Chapron Petra Kaczensky Francisco Álvares Henrik Andrén Vaidas Balys Juan Carlos Blanco Silviu Chiriac Duško Cirovic Nolwenn Drouet-Hoguet Djuro Huber Yorgos Iliopoulos Ilpo Kojola Miha Krofel Miroslav Kutal John D. C. Linnell Aleksandra Aleksandra Majic Skrbinšek Peep Männil Francesca Marucco Dime Melovski Deniz Mengüllüoclu Joachim Mergeay Robert W. Myscajek Sabina Nowak Janis Ozolinš Nathan Ranc Ilka Reinhardt Robin Rigg Valeria Salvatori Laurent Schley Peter Sunde Aleksandër Trajçe Igor Trbojevic Arie Trouwborst Manuela von Arx Diana Zlatanova Luigi Boitani application/pdf eng https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4160