The Iberian lynx is no longer in danger

A success story for the conservation of the Iberian lynx:his status changes from “in danger” to “vulnerable”.

• The conservation status of the Iberian lynx becomes "vulnerable"
• Lack of prey, habitat destruction and hunting are the main threats to the lynx
• A coordinated and shared project for its rebirth

Not even twenty-five years ago for the Iberian lynx, or Iberian, one was feared end without return, extinction.But today we can celebrate, the populations of this species have recovered so well in Spain and Portugal that its status has changed from “endangered” to “vulnerable” according to the red list of the IUCN, the International Union for the Conservation of Species.

The Iberian lynx changes its conservation status

An incredible, lasting effort more than twenty years, fruit of collaboration and coordination between European projects, regional and national governments of Spain and Portugal, NGOs and the population has led to this long-awaited result.So it arrived a few weeks ago the official announcement by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): the conservation status of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is “vulnerable”.A species is vulnerable if its probability of extinction is estimated to be greater than 10 percent in 100 years.And according to the latest census, the lynx population in the Iberian Peninsula has increased from just 94 individuals to 2,021 last year, with 86 percent of them in Spain.

Predators fare better than prey

During the twentieth century Iberian lynx numbers have plummeted due to the relentless hunting of thousands of specimens due to the laws of the Franco era, which had the aim of getting rid of creatures deemed "parasites".Another factor that largely contributed to their demise was the lack of food, In fact, rabbits – which make up 90 percent of their diet – disappeared dramatically due to a virus, called hemorrhagic disease virus.This not only reduced the number of rabbits but also infected predators.Also surrounding these massacres habitat loss from the lynx.These latter threats, however, have not disappeared.For example, the number of rabbits is still very low due to this disease:at the moment we are witnessing a population decline of 35 percent in the regions of Castile-La Mancha, while in Portugal they decreased by 90 percent in the last ten years.“It seems paradoxical but currently in nature reserves predators are doing better than prey,” he said Ramón Pérez de Ayala, lynx expert from WWF Spain.

A project that has brought the lynx back to life

This gorgeous one success story arises from careful and collaborative initiatives for expand and diversify both the numbers of individuals and populations of lynx in different areas.The increase in awareness among the general public has also been a driving factor in this long journey.The objective that the experts have set themselves is to ensure that, in the next hundred years, the lynx completely regains its native area. Javier Salcedo, coordinator of the Life Lynxconnect project funded largely by the European Union, said it was surprising to see the animal go from “critically endangered” to “endangered” and now to “vulnerable” over the course of two decades.

According to his story the hardest part was the beginning, since at the beginning of the century everyone knew the dramatic situation of the lynx but no one realized how complicated it was.The first census projects had found only two populations, in Andújar-Cardeña and Doñana, both in Andalusia, with barely one hundred lynxes.The project has currently reached the halfway point, the goal is 750 females of reproductive age by 2040, now there are 406.

A victory to consolidate, because much remains to be done.Even when the objective is achieved - we hope - we will not need to lower our guard so as not to risk that everything to which many people have dedicated their lives has not been an effort in vain.