Iberian Lynx

The most endangered feline species in the world lives in Southern Spain and Portugal, and is the Iberian Lynx, a medium-sized cat that is similar to, but smaller and distinct from, the Eurasian Lynx, which lives in much of Europe and Asia. The Iberian Lynx evolved in isolation during long glacial periods, when the Iberian Peninsular was cut off from the rest of Europe, and feeds almost exclusively on rabbits. It is classified by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as “Critically Endangered with Extinction”, the only feline species to hold this dubious honour.
Just around 150 Iberian Lynx are known to survive in the wild, confined to two known breeding populations in Andalucía, southern Spain. One population is centred around the world famous Doñana National Park near to Portugal, and the other population is in the Sierra Morena mountain range north east of Cordoba. Some lynx may still survive elsewhere, including in Portugal and in more central Spain, but these individuals probably do not constitute viable breeding populations.

The Iberian Lynx is a beautiful and important creature, weighing up to 15 Kg with striking yellow and black fur, and long distinctive side-burns, and is now a popular cultural icon. The species is a top predator in the Mediterranean Ecosystem in Spain and Portugal, helping to maintain important balances in other predator and prey populations. For example, lynx will kill and chase-off any foxes or mongoose that enter its territory, thus reducing overall predation on many other species. The Iberian Lynx is also an “umbrella species” given that it requires habitat, sustainable development and environmental awareness, important for the conservation of many other plants and animals.

So the most endangered feline in the world lives in relatively rich and supposedly environmentally- conscious western Europe. It is strikingly beautiful and poses no danger to people or livestock. So why on earth should there be a problem? Why should there be an “Iberian Lynx Emergency” at all?

The Iberian Lynx declined drastically from an estimated population of 100,000 in 1900 to around 150 today for three main reasons. Firstly, many lynx were deliberately killed as “vermin” or threats to game species, even after their killing was outlawed in the 1970’s and even today lynx are still accidentally injured and killed by illegal and inappropriate “predator control” methods employed by gamekeepers, including snares and leg-traps. Hunting is a massive, but insufficiently controlled industry and activity in the Iberian Peninsular, with over 1 million registered hunters in Spain alone, where hunting estates cover over 70% of the country. Ironically, however, commercial hunting does preserve a lot of valuable habitat that might otherwise be lost to development and most of the lynx that survive today live on private hunting estates. Thus, it is not practically possible to isolate lynx from hunting areas, and conservationists must instead work with hunters to save the species.

Secondly, beyond hunting activities, lynx have declined because a lot of valuable habitat has been lost to, and fragmented by, intensive agriculture, exotic forestry plantations, infrastructure developments and legal and illegal urbanisation. New roads have been particularly problematic as they have not only consumed and fragmented habitat but have also accounted for a growing percentage of lynx non-natural mortality, with fast road vehicles killing 10 lynx from 2005 to 2006.

Thirdly, the lynx have been starving due to drastic declines in wild rabbits. Few people know that wild rabbits originated in Spain and Portugal (from where they were introduced elsewhere by people), or that there is a place in the world that suffers from having not enough rabbits. The arrival of introduced Myxomatosis in the 1950’s and Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) in the late 1980’s decimated rabbit populations already under pressure from excessive hunting and land-use change. Moreover, the very importance of rabbits – as a game species and key prey for over 40 predators  – has compounded the problem, as predation, along with hunting, has prevented rabbits recovering from the diseases, unlike, for example, in Australia where rabbit populations rapidly bounced back from both Myxomatosis and RHD due to fewer predators and hunters.

In some areas of Spain and Portugal rabbit densities are estimated at only 5% of what they were 60 years ago and in many areas rabbit decline is on-going. For example, in Portugal between 1992 and 2002 average rabbit densities declined by a further 30%, following on from large declines in previous decades caused by the arrival of the two diseases. Such declines in rabbit densities lead to reductions in both survival and reproductive rates. For example, a female lynx raising cubs needs to catch on average four rabbits a day and in Doñana National Park lynx have become increasingly dependent upon artificial food supplied by personnel, including live rabbits in feeding enclosures.

So, we know that the most endangered feline in the world is the Iberian Lynx, and we know that it has declined due to non-natural mortality, habitat loss and rabbit decline. But why hasn’t more been done to ensure its survival? Well, unfortunately, although conservation actions from a number of organisations and governments have been gaining momentum in recent years, the Iberian Lynx has also suffered from a number of political and social pressures frustrating the conservation response.

Firstly, the awareness of the decline, importance and unique nature of the Iberian Lynx has been insufficient. Scientifically, the Iberian Lynx was often wrongly classified and referred to as a sub-species of the Eurasian Lynx, at least until the 1990s, and the extent of lynx declines was under-estimated due to inadequate monitoring. This led to insufficient pressures being placed on governments and conservation organisations to act. Similarly, the public in Spain and Portugal, who rarely see the elusive lynx even if they live in lynx areas, have been slow to realise, and react to, the extent of the decline in the species. This problem continues today, with many people, even in lynx areas, not caring enough whether the lynx survives, especially where it is seen to conflict with demands for more roads, rapid economic development and uncontrolled hunting.

Secondly, beyond awareness, there have been problems of co-ordination with those individuals, organisations and government agencies that have been working hard to save the lynx not working closely enough together and even at times working against each other. This has meant that the conservation response has not been swift or effective enough andalthough progress has been made with conferences, working groups and information sharing in recent years, a lot of work is still needed to build bridges, cement relationships and ensure open and frank communication.

Thirdly, the Iberian Lynx has, ironically, suffered from being in developed western Europe. Although regional and national governments and the European Union have given significant amounts of money to Iberian Lynx conservation, the same administrations have spent far more money on projects and policies that have harmed the species, including new roads, new dams and subsidised intensive agriculture. Similarly, although conservation organisations are now focusing quite a lot on the Iberian Lynx, this attention has come much later than that given to endangered and declining felines in other parts of the world, such as Africa and South East Asia. Moreover, this seems to be part of a wider, almost colonial, tendency in the conservation community to stress the need for nature conservation more in poorer developing countries than in the developed world.

If the Iberian Lynx were to go extinct, it would be a disaster, not only for the species and the ecosystem of which it is an important part, but also for Europe and the international conservation community. How could Europe maintain it’s supposed leadership role in environmental issues, such as climate change, if it has presided over the first feline extinction since the sabre-toothed tiger? Similarly, how could the international conservation community continue to pressure poor developing countries in Africa and Asia to conserve felines and other species if it is unable to ensure the survival of the Iberian Lynx in wealthy western Europe, where so many of it’s supporters and organisations are based? If we can’t live with lynx, why should Indians live with tigers?

Fortunately, there is hope. A lot of work has been done in recent years. Organisations such as SOS Lynx have managed to put the Iberian Lynx on the political and conservation agenda. Similarly, governments, NGOs, scientists and others have worked hard – particularly in Spain – to implement a number of measures to safeguard the species. There is now a successful captive breeding programme, with 11 cubs being born in captivity since 2005. Large areas of habitat are being protected and restored and a lot of progress has been made in working and forming agreements with landowners and hunting associations in current lynx areas, to alter actions and attitudes to benefit the lynx. As a result of this work, the larger of the two known breeding populations has been stabilised and slightly expanded in the last few years and there is now the real possibility that captively-bred lynx might be reintroduced to form new wild populations over the next 4-10 years.

However, a lot more work is needed. Rabbit conservation, in particular, has had little success and suffers from having too low a profile and being poorly co-ordinated and planned. Without widespread and sustained rabbit recovery, the recovery of the Iberian Lynx and many other predators – including the Spanish Imperial Eagle – will not be possible. Similarly, although some damaging development proposals have been avoided following successful campaigns, there are on-going proposals for more roads, dams and urbanisation, which, if implemented, would threaten the lynx. Finally, levels of awareness and support are still too low, with individuals living in actual and potential lynx areas not caring enough to alter actions to benefit the lynx, and individuals and organisations at the European level being ignorant of a conservation crisis in their own backyard.

Please Help! The Iberian Lynx is still in need of more friends, fame and finances. If you would like to contribute to the work of SOS Lynx in environmental education, lobbying and research, please contact us at: lynxbrief@yahoo.co.uk or visit our website at: www.soslynx.org  Similarly, if you would like to contribute to the work of others, or just want to know more about Iberian Lynx conservation, please also contact us, as we can put you in touch with organisations and individuals working in other areas, and can add you to the distribution list of our regular LynxBrief newsletter.

Finally, please help us by telling other people that the most endangered feline species in the world lives not in Africa or Asia but close to the tourist resorts of southern Spain and Portugal.

About SOS Lynx 

SOS Lynx is an independent not-for-profit organisation set up in 2000 dedicated to the conservation of the Iberian Lynx. Its work has included lobbying governments and the European Union to: alter policies and proposals that threaten the lynx, and; implement sufficient conservation measures. In addition, SOS Lynx works with school children, the rural population in Portugal and media organisations to alter attitudes and actions in favour of the lynx and has researched and published reports and newsletters to raise support for and the co-ordination of, Iberian Lynx conservation.

About the Author

Dan Ward is the author of the Iberian Lynx Emergency Report, commissioned by Caroline Lucas MEP, and published by SOS Lynx in 2004. He is also the author of the important “Reversing Rabbit Decline” report, published in 2005 and edits the regular LynxBrief newsletters. Dan graduated in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, gained a Masters in Environment Policy and has experience in nature conservation projects in New Zealand, Scotland, Spain and Portugal.