Iberian Lynx Conservation Status Upgraded to Vulnerable

June 22, 2024

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) changed the Iberian Lynx’s protection status from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” on June 20. The species was once very close to going extinct. This is a big step forward in what is one of the best conservation rescues in recent memory. The species is native to Spain and Portugal. In 2001, there were only 62 adult individuals, but by 2022, there were 648, and now more than 2,000.

Conservation Efforts and Strategies

The International Union for Protection of Nature (IUCN) changed the Iberian Lynx’s protection status from “Endangered” to “Vulnerable” on June 20. The species was once very close to going extinct. This is a big step forward in what is thought to be one of the best conservation rescues in recent memory. The species is native to Spain and Portugal. In 2001, there were only 62 adult individuals, but by 2022, there were 648, and there are now more than 2,000 of them.

Successful Reintroductions and Population Expansion

Since 2010, more than 400 Iberian lynxes have been safely returned to parts of Portugal and Spain where they lived before. In 2005, the species only lived in 449 km², but now it lives in at least 3,320 km². These reintroductions have been very important to the survival of the species, leading to more of them and a wider range of genetic types.

Ongoing Threats and Future Plans

Even with these gains, the Iberian Lynx still faces several dangers. There is a big risk that the number of rabbits in Europe will change, mostly because of virus breakouts. The lynx can also get diseases from house cats. It also has problems with being poached, being killed on the road, and its environment changing because of climate change. In the future, conservationists want to bring the lynx back to more places in central and northern Spain. Projects like the LIFE Lynx-Connect project will help them do this. For the lynx to possibly become “Fully Recovered” within the next hundred years, people need to keep working together and taking conservation measures.

« Previous Post Next Post »