IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Ward, D. | |
| The Iberian Lynx Emergency | |
| 2004 Full Book | |
This report provides a broad and up-to-date overview of the emergency situation of the Iberian Lynx, based upon interviews with lynx experts from governmental, nongovernmental and international organisations, and a review of available literature. The Iberian Lynx is the most endangered feline in the world. Only two breeding populations can be confirmed, both in southern Spain, containing together just 120-155 individuals, and these may soon disappear unless significant changes occur. The Iberian Lynx has drastically declined due to high non-natural mortality, habitat loss and fragmentation, and rabbit decline, caused by hunting, infrastructure developments, land-use changes and introduced rabbit diseases. The two surviving breeding populations - in Do¤ana and Andujar - are very small and isolated, and continue to be threatened by land-use changes, hunting, new infrastructure projects, road-kills and low genetic and demographic diversity. In order to conserve the Iberian Lynx it would be necessary to remove hunting and road kill pressures, protect habitat from development, restore habitat, recover rabbit populations, provide extra food for lynx, prevent new diseases being introduced into lynx populations, create a captive breeding population, and reintroduce and/or translocate animals. Any one of these actions, such as captive breeding, would not be sufficient and could only form a part of a wider solution. The lynx conservation effort has developed late and slowly, is still new and not very extensive, and has yet to demonstrate a significant impact on the lynx. There has still been no lynx bred in captivity or new wild populations created, and attempts at rabbit recovery, habitat conservation and restoration, and controlling hunting and road kill pressures, have not been very extensive or effective to date. Lynx conservation is currently being obstructed by insufficient: political coordination; long term funding; public and political support; integration with other policy areas; strategic planning; monitoring; research; innovation; legislation protecting habitat and lynx, and; incentives for conservation on private land. Particular actions that are required include: the organisation of a new international lynx conference focusing on the long term; an effective and available rabbit vaccine and selective predator control; a multi-lateral political commission focusing on lynx conservation; a revision of official infrastructure, land-use and habitat protection policies and legislation; urgent approval and implementation of lynx recovery plans and sufficient Natura 2000 areas; increased political campaigning and outreach efforts; more financial sustained government financial support for rabbit and lynx conservation. The EU has a particular responsibility and ability to act to conserve and recover the Iberian Lynx, but on balance is not doing so at present due to inadequate support and pressure for lynx conservation and inappropriate support, and inadequate control, of infrastructure developments and land-use changes. |
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(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |