On the day that a pair of Iberian lynx bred in captivity – the Jacarandá, raised in Portugal, and the Kathmandu, bred in Spain - were released into the wild, in Mértola, to try to recover the wild population of this species in Portugal, Silves it also dedicated several initiatives to this feline that is the most threatened on the planet.
In the morning, in the Castle of Silves, the exhibition “On the Path of the Iberian Lynx” was inaugurated, promoted by the Municipality of Silves, in partnership with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
The ceremony was presided over by the Secretary of State for Spatial Planning and Nature Conservation, Miguel de Castro Neto.
In his speech, the Secretary of State highlighted the importance of this type of initiatives in the sustainable development of the regions and their important contribution to the local economy, as well as to tourism and the promotion of nature conservation and biodiversity.
For her part, Mayor Rosa Palma began by presenting the promotion of heritage and the development of cultural and scientific activity as one of the strategic axes of intervention by the current municipal executive.
He continued, highlighting the characteristics of the municipality of Silves, which presents unique conditions for the success of the tourist and educational route “On the path of the Iberian lynx”, which includes both the exhibition that opened today and, in the near future, the Interpretative Center of the Iberian Lynx, to be implemented on the north slope of the Castle of Silves.
Rosa Palma ended by highlighting the importance that these two projects have in promoting the natural, cultural and scientific heritage of the municipality and in boosting the cultural and tourist image of the municipality of Silves, associating it with the “lince” brand.
The ceremony also contemplated the act of joining the company Águas do Algarve, the Portuguese Cork Association, the Association for the Defense of the Heritage of Mértola and Altri SGPS SA, as new members of the Iberlinx Association.
Secretary of State Castro Neto's visit ended with the inauguration of the Fuzeiros valley viewpoint, visiting point of the Iberian Lynx National Reproduction Center, where it is possible to observe the Center and get in contact with useful information about the plan. action for the conservation of the Iberian lynx in Portugal.
About the exhibition “On the Path of the Iberian Lynx”
“No Caminho do Lince Ibérico” is the name of the exhibition that aims to bring to the public knowledge the characteristics and reasons that make this the most endangered feline species on the planet.
The show presents a historical perspective of the occurrence of this animal in the Iberian Peninsula, its recent disappearance from Portuguese territory and the efforts that have been made to reintroduce it into a natural environment, and which are now materialized, with the release planned for the same day in the Guadiana Valley Natural Park region.
The exhibition also seeks to make known the morphological and behavioral particularities of lynxes, the threats, their habitats and preferential prey, and highlight the importance of this species in the balance of the ecosystems where it occurs.
This initiative, however, is part of a broader project, which included the inauguration of the first section of the thematic route “On the Route of the Iberian Lynx”, which takes the visitor from Silves to the surroundings of the Funcho dam, where he was “Miradouro do Lince” is inaugurated.
This set of events is the result of a joint organization between the Municipality of Silves, the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests and Águas do Algarve.
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