The Iberian lynx, a miraculous survivor of the sixth extinction

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The until now uncertain future of the emblematic endemic feline, the largest in the Iberian Peninsula, the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) , is slowly taking on a hopeful color. Just 20 years ago, in 2002, indiscriminate hunting, the destruction and fragmentation of the Mediterranean forest for the benefit of agriculture, urban planning or livestock, as well as the scarcity of rabbits (its favorite prey) dragged the species into the clutches of extinction. At this time, a colony of only 94 specimens was counted, confined to minimal territories in Doñana and the Andújar mountain range of Jaen.

Adult Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). It was that same Faroe Islands Email List year in which, first with very modest objectives, which gained in ambition over time, the Ministry of Ecological Transition, the Andalusian, Extremaduran, La Mancha and Portuguese governments, the naturalists of WWF and the European Union joined forces and resources , with the sole objective of saving the Iberian lynx. The joint effort allowed the creation of four captive breeding centers and the implementation of a highly studied and controlled strategy to ensure that the subsequent reintroduction of these young specimens into the wild was a success.



In this patient task, technicians and political leaders also had the collaboration of several hundred farm owners and hunters' associations. Fortunately, the lynx recovery program has been completely successful, and lynx populations have experienced a growing trend over the years, leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to downgrade the category in 2015. from threat of the Iberian lynx to 'Endangered'. In the last 3 years, the species has experienced annual growth of more than 20%. The latest censuses reveal that the current Iberian lynx population is in record numbers , with around 1,400 specimens, including adults, subadults and cubs, which roam the pastures, marshes and hills of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla la Mancha and the south.