Jakarta – Once on the brink of extinction, the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) has made a significant comeback, improving its conservation status from Endangered to Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, the IUCN said in a statement on June 20. This improvement marks a major milestone in the 60th anniversary of the IUCN Red List, highlighting its role in monitoring biodiversity and guiding conservation actions.
Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Director General, emphasised the importance of the Red List, stating, “It is an essential tool that measures progress towards halting nature loss and achieving the 2030 global biodiversity goals.” She noted that the lynx’s recovery demonstrates how effective conservation efforts can benefit wildlife and communities.
The Iberian lynx population has dramatically increased from only 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022. The population, including young and mature lynx, now exceeds 2,000 individuals. Conservation strategies have centred on boosting the numbers of the lynx’s main prey, the endangered European rabbit, restoring its Mediterranean scrub and forest habitats, and mitigating mortality from human activities. Key initiatives have included translocations to enhance genetic diversity and an ex-situ breeding program, with over 400 lynx reintroduced to parts of Portugal and Spain since 2010.
Despite this progress, the lynx remains vulnerable to threats such as disease transmission from domestic cats, potential declines in rabbit populations due to viral outbreaks, poaching, road kills, and habitat changes driven by climate change.
Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, Coordinator of the LIFE Lynx-Connect project, said, “The greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation, 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,”
Looking to the future, there are plans to reintroduce the Iberian lynx to new areas in central and northern Spain to ensure the species’ continued recovery and expansion.
In the IUCN’s first Green Status of Species assessment, the Iberian lynx is considered Largely Depleted but shows a high Conservation Legacy, indicating significant past conservation impact. Experts believe that with ongoing and effective conservation efforts, the lynx could reach Fully Recovered status within the next century. (nsh)
Banner photo: Wikimedia commons/http://www.lynxexsitu.es
