70 new cubs increase the number of Iberian lynxes living in the Guadiana Valley to 200

One of the most relevant aspects of 2021 was «the consolidation of the lynx population in the Algarve»

About 200 Iberian lynxes are currently living freely in the Guadiana Valley, Alentejo and Algarve, after the birth of 70 cubs in 2021, 10 more than the previous year.

According to a statement from the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF), the “2021 monitoring of the population of Iberian lynx reintroduced in the Guadiana Valley reveals that there are 70 new offspring out of a total of 24 breeding females”.

«There are 10 more births and 6 more breeding females compared to the previous year, and these numbers can still be revised upwards, given the vast area now occupied by the species», he explains.

«Seven years after the start of the reintroduction process», around 200 lynx are now referenced, distributed «over a vast territory that extends between the municipalities of Serpa, in Alentejo, and Tavira, in the Algarve».

One of the most relevant aspects of 2021 was «the consolidation of the population in the Algarve territory», where around 20 specimens now reside and where nine births took place, «there is still a large territory that could be occupied by the species».

The ICNF underlines that, in the coming years, under the LIFE Lynxconnect project, “initiatives will be developed to strengthen the link between the various lynx populations and enhance the Mediterranean ecosystem, improving the quality of the habitat and the abundance of prey”.

«The success of the reintroduction of the lynx, verified over these years, is the result of an Iberian effort in which associations of hunters, farmers, landowners, NGOs, municipalities and government entities came together to rescue and reverse the trend of evolution of a species that was walking to extinction», concludes the ICNF.

 

 



Comments

Ads