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Taking action for the Iberian lynx

The Iberian lynx is a highly charismatic predator that once roamed the length and breadth of the Iberian Peninsula. Once considered ‘common’, the species has declined dramatically during the last 50 years, with the most recent reports indicating that there are fewer than 100 individuals left in the wild.

Acknowledged as the most endangered cat species in the world, the Iberian lynx is the only cat classified as Critically Endangered. The decline in lynx populations is due to a number of factors including scarcity of prey, loss and fragmentation of its cork oak and maquis habitats, road casualties and illegal killing.

The Iberian lynx specializes in catching rabbits, which are native to the Iberian Peninsula. The introduction of myxomatosis to Spain in the 1950s and the subsequent impact of haemorrhagic fever have resulted in a drastic decline in rabbit populations down to an estimated 5% of original levels.

Only two confirmed breeding populations of Iberian lynx remain, one in the Donana National Park and the other in Andujar, both in southern Spain. However, Portugal is considered crucial to the long-term recovery strategy for the lynx. There are still large areas of primary lynx habitat in the south of the country, which can provide a link across the peninsula to the ‘hotspots’ in Spain. Moreover, any future reintroduction strategy will rely on the availability of territory in Portugal.

Fauna & Flora International is implementing a strategy for the conservation of the Iberian lynx in both Portugal and Spain, with funding from the Arcadia Fund, Nando Peretti Foundation and WildInvest. The strategy will secure a cross-border corridor of cork oak forest and maquis habitat under favourable management for this threatened cat.

In addition to protecting areas of habitat of recognized global importance, the corridor will allow for the natural expansion and reconnection of currently isolated lynx populations and, in the future, for the secure reintroduction of captive bred individuals. Key areas of habitat will be brought under long-term conservation management with local land management organizations and landowners.

Initial focus has been on Portugal. Fauna & Flora International has formed a strong partnership with, Liga Para A Protecção Da Natureza (LPN), supporting the establishment of a small lynx project team within this leading conservation NGO. Efforts are now focusing on negotiations with landowners in our target areas. The first agreement, securing 700 hectares of habitat, was signed in May 2006. A further five landowners are in the process of negotiating agreements to protected habitat on their estates.