The Life+IBERLINCE Project will release eight Iberian lynxes from February on in the Matachel reintroduction area (Badajoz)

The Ministry of Environment and Rural, Agricultural Policies and Territory continues with the reintroduction of the Iberian lynx in Extremadura with the release to its natural environment of eight copies; Four females and four males, which will be released in the Matachel reintroduction area.

Six of these lynxes will be released by the hard release method, directly in the habitat, because they are better adapted to their proper environment, and another two will be reintroduced in the adaptation fence to favor their acclimatization to the environment.

With these releases, the population of lynxes in Extremadura will be strengthened and stable settlement of breeding pairs will be facilitated, as well as favoring the genetic reinforcement that avoids inbreeding of the species in a population that in the Extremadura region is currently 22 lynxes. All released lynxes will be equipped with a GPS location to track their movements and uses of the territory, since the information they provide is "vital" to analyze the species' dispersal habits and ensure their survival.

One more year, the collaboration of the owners of the farms, the support of the Federation Extremeña de Caza and various administrations such as the Civil Guard - SEPRONA, local councils, provincial councils, education and Employment, and Economy and Infrastructure, the agents of the Natural Environment and the University of Extremadura (UEx). The progress of the reintroduction program is the result of the support and effort of all the institutions.

The lynx reintroduction actions in Extremadura are coordinated by the General Directorate for the Environment and were initiated in 2014 as part of the Life+IBERLINCE project for the recovery of the historical distribution of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Spain and Portugal. Life+IBERLINCE is a transnational project, co-financed to 61.57% by the European Union and coordinated by the Andalusian Government, in which the communities of Andalusia, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia also participate. Agriculture, Food and Environment and the environmental organizations CBD-Hábitat, VVWF, Secem and Adenex, as well as the hunting companies Aproca and the Andalusian Hunting Federation, and the private companies Agroforex, Fomecam and Acajú.