Partners of the Life+Iberlince project meet in Sevilla to establish the basis for a future project of the Iberian lynx

The beneficiaries of the Life+Iberlince 'Recovery of the historical distribution of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) in Spain and Portugal' (LIFE10NAT / ES / 570) have held a meeting in Sevilla on Monday 22 May to address the bases of a future project on the conservation of the Iberian lynx, once the current Life project ends, in June 30, 2018, once the requested extension has been granted to the European Commission.

Throughout the meeting, the attendees have analyzed the current situation of the project, the achievements reached today and the forecast for when the project ends. In this sense, they have predicted that, in the areas of reintroduction created in Vale do Guadiana (Portugal), Matachel (Extremadura), Montes de Toledo and Sierra Morena east (Castilla-La Mancha), there will be between six and eight Females territorial, which makes a total of 25/30 copies of Iberian lynx per zone. And in the areas of reintroduction of Andalusia will have surpassed 100 territorial females and 400 copies.

The project director has shown that this situation, although positive, must be consolidated and increased in the future, hence the need to mark a new strategy to continue working actively in the consolidation of the current areas of reintroduction, in the Connection and genetic exchange between them, in the monitoring of rabbit populations and in actions to alleviate the effects of RHDVb, in the reduction of abuses and other threats, as well as in the social involvement and of managers and landowners, in Monitoring and genetic management of the entire population of Iberian lynx, captive and wild.

To this end, a work schedule has been established, in the medium and long term, and the conservation actions of the Iberian lynx have been defined in the future. All this, with the aim of guaranteeing the conservation of this species in the Peninsula, where the number of specimens rises, according to the data of the last census of population, corresponding to 2016, to 483 individuals.

The Life + Iberlince project is the third Life project coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of the Andalusian Government for the recovery and conservation of the Iberian lynx in the Iberian Peninsula and continues with the actions initiated in the Iberian Peninsula. Defense of the Iberian lynx in 2002, when the species was in 'critical danger of extinction', according to the UICN.