The Iberian lynx, once one of the world’s rarest cats, has made such a remarkable recovery that it’s no longer considered endangered
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‘The greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation’. That’s how Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, Coordinator of the LIFE Lynx-Connect project, described this week’s announcement by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that the Iberian lynx population has made a remarkable recovery.
The Iberian lynx, which, as the name suggests, is resident to the Iberian Peninsula, is a beautiful and elegant medium-sized cat notable for its blotchy coat, short, stubby tail and long, tapering ears. Feeding on rabbits and other small mammals, the lynx lives in the Mediterranean scrublands of southern Spain’s Doñana National Park and the Sierra Morena, although it has now also been released into other parts of Andalucia as well as Portugal.
Just over 20 years ago there were feared to be only 92 of them left, which made it one of the rarest cats in the world. But now, thanks to successful captive breeding programmes, intense conservation efforts and re-introduction programmes, the population has now risen to an estimated 2021. It should be kept in mind, though, that many of the lynx slinking through the shadows of Spain’s cork-oak forests are still immature, with researchers estimating that of the 2021 lynx, only 648 of them are mature adults. This increase in the population has led to the IUCN changing the cat status on the IUCN Red List from Endangered to Vulnerable.
There are several reasons as to why the Iberian lynx came within a cat’s whisker of extinction. During Spain’s Franco era, the dictator urged people to kill the lynx, claiming that they were vermin. Further impacting numbers have been general habitat destruction as well as lynx being hit by vehicles when they try to cross roads. The most important reason for their decline, though, is because rabbits, which make up 90 per cent of a lynx diet, are in trouble themselves with diseases such as myxomatoses, leading to a massive decline in European rabbit populations, which in turn meant that lynx were starving to death.
In order to rebuild the lynx population conservation efforts for this keystone species have focused on increasing the abundance of rabbits, protecting and restoring Mediterranean scrub and forest habitat, and reducing deaths caused by human activity. Expanding the species’ genetic diversity through translocations and an ex-situ breeding programme has also been key to increasing numbers. Since 2010, more than 400 Iberian lynx have been reintroduced to parts of Portugal and Spain. The Iberian lynx now occupies at least 3,320 km2, an increase from 449 km2 in 2005.
According to Ortiz, ‘This success is the result of committed collaboration between public bodies, scientific institutions, NGOs, private companies, and community members including local landowners, farmers, gamekeepers and hunters, and the financial and logistical support of the European Union LIFE project.’
However, the Iberian lynx remains threatened, mainly due to potential fluctuations of the European rabbit population if there are further virus outbreaks. The Iberian lynx is also susceptible to diseases from domestic cats. Poaching and road kill remain threats, particularly where high-traffic roads cut through the lynx’s habitat. Habitat alterations related to climate change are a growing threat. Urging caution Ortiz goes on to say, ‘There is still a lot of work to do to ensure that Iberian lynx populations survive and the species recovers throughout its indigenous range. Looking ahead, there are plans to reintroduce the Iberian lynx to new sites in central and northern Spain.’
For now though perhaps it’s time to celebrate this one small conservation victory and to keep in mind the words of Sarah Durant, Professor at ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, who said in reaction to the news, ‘The significant recovery of the Iberian lynx demonstrates that even the most threatened species can be brought back from the brink of extinction through committed, science-based conservation action and provides hope for those working to protect wildlife across the globe’.
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