Fears for wolf population after ‘catastrophic’ wildfire in Spain

Blaze in Sierra de la Culebra mountains in Zamora province destroyed 30,000 hectares of woodland

The Spanish government has declared the Sierra de la Culebra mountain range in Zamora province a catastrophe zone after a fire destroyed 30,000 hectares (74,000 acres) of woodland, raising fears for the future of the local wolf population.

The decision gives the Castilla y Leon region immediate access to 2m (1.7m) in economic recovery funds to help make good the damage caused by the worst fire in a decade, which destroyed a huge swathe of the 600 sq km biosphere reserve in north-west Spain.