The director of the LIFE Iberlince project, Andalusia Environment Award for his professional career

The Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning has awarded Miguel Ángel Simón Mata’s entire professional career with the Cinta Castillo Special Award

Biologist Miguel Ángel Simón, director of the LIFE Iberlince project for the 'Recovery of the historical distribution of the Iberian lynx in Spain and Portugal', has been honoured with one of the Andalusian Environment Awards which the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning grants each year in recognition of the environmental work done by individuals or organizations that contributed significantly to the preservation, protection and propagation of environmental values in the Autonomous Community.

Specifically, Simón has received the Cinta Castillo Special Award, which is named after the former Minister of the Environment and acknowledges the recipient’s entire career, closely related with one specie’s recovery, that of the Iberian lynx, which became critically endangered and has considerably recovered thanks, to a large extent, to the LIFE projects (the current one was preceded by two others) headed by the Jáen born biologist.

The award is shared with CSIC scientist José Luis González Rebollar and, additionally, the Ministry of the Environment has also awarded Aguas Danone-Lanjarón, in the Enterprise and the Environment category; the journalist Ricardo Gamaza, in the Environmental Communication category; Corrales de Rota, in the Commitment and Environmental Education category; the City of Peal del Becerro, in the Urban Environment and Climate Change category; and the Life Programme Unit, in the Andalusian Natural Values category.

Miguel Ángel Simón, a life dedicated to the environment

Miguel Ángel Simón Mata (Jaén, 1954) is the director of the successful LIFE Iberlince program 'Recovery of the historical distribution of the Iberian lynx in Spain and Portugal' (2011-2017), as well as of the other two previous LIFE programs – ‘Recovery of the Iberian lynx populations in Andalusia (2002-2006)' and 'Conservation and reintroduction of the Iberian lynx in Andalusia (2006-2011) ', coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning of the Regional Government of Andalusia, and financed by the European Commission. Thanks to these projects, he has managed to avoid the extinction of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), which in 2002 was comprised of only 94 specimens, versus the almost 500 individuals currenty in existence (according to the latest population census), reclassifying the lynx from a 'critically endangered’ species' to an ‘endangered species' (according to the IUCN catalogue, the international body responsible for cataloguing different species’ threat level).

This Jáen born field biologist used entirely innovative methods to successfully recover the Iberian lynx's historical territories, which made it possible for the Iberian lynx to live and breed in regions of Spain and Portugal where, until then, their presence was merely in past generations’ memories.

As director of projects associated with the conservation and recovery of the Iberian lynx, Simón recently received the ‘LIFE Green Awards’ for best LIFE Naturaleza project of the past 25 years for the 'Conservation and reintroduction of the Iberian lynx in Andalusia’ project (2006-2011 ). This project also garnered the 'Best of the best' award, issued by Member States for the best projects implemented throughout the European Union, as was the case with the first of the LIFE projects led by Simón, 'Recovery Of Iberian lynx populations in Andalusia (2002-2006) '.

Throughout his professional career, Simón was also the coordinator and director of the ‘Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) reintroduction program in Andalusia; the 'Andalusian Strategy for poison control and other threats to wildlife'; the 'Program for the conservation of the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Andalusia ', the project 'Reintroduction of the Deer in the Cazorla, Segura and Las Villas Natural Park '; of the 'European Charter for Sustainable Tourism' LIFE Project. He was also the co-director of the 'Program for the Wolf (Canis lupus) conservation in Andalusia', as well as the founder and manager of the Gypaetus Foundation, for the conservation of endangered species, a position he held until 2006.

Miguel Ángel Simón is the author or co-author of more than 40 publications in scientific journals, and his conservation efforts have been distinguished by such awards as the Terras Sem Sombra International Award, in the Biodiversity category, for his role in the conservation and recovery the Iberian lynx.