Latest news with #Iberianlynx
Euronews
04-05-2025
- General
- Euronews
Saved from extinction, the Iberian lynx now faces an uncertain future in Spain
ADVERTISEMENT In a flash, Vírgula bolts from a box and bounds down the hill to freedom. With her distinctive pointy ears and dotted brown coat, the Iberian lynx cuts a dashing sight. The one-year-old female was released on Los Mil Quinientos - a remote country estate in Extremadura in Spain's far west - on Monday. Her first taste of the wild after having been born in captivity as part of a breeding programme to restore her species. That rewilding scheme, which began 20 years ago, closes next year. So the days of lynx releases like Vírgula's are numbered. Related 'Greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved': Iberian Lynx is no longer on brink of extinction Saving a species facing extinction At the turn of this century, the Iberian lynx was on the edge of extinction in Iberia, its numbers decimated by relentless hunting and diseases ravaging its favourite foodstuff: the rabbit. With less than 100 individuals known to be alive, lynx pardinus was about to share the fate of the dodo. So began LIFE Lynx Connect, a multi-million euro project backed by the European Union, the Spanish and Portuguese governments, regional authorities and private companies, which has saved this wild cat. Since 2005, lynx have been reared in captivity then released into the wild in areas stocked with rabbits across southern Spain and Portugal . Initially seen as a pest, conservationists convinced rural communities and hunters that the lynx was actually an asset to the countryside. Lynx numbers reached 2,021 according to a 2023 census. From being classed as at risk of extinction, it is now vulnerable, according to an IUCN update from 2024. Related Czechia's €1m dam built for free by beavers: Here's where else they're doing good work Now the lynx faces an uncertain future With the LIFE Lynx Connect project coming to an end in 2026, this most photogenic feline faces an uncertain future. Rewilding of the carnivorous wild cat has met with resistance in Catalonia, Aragon and parts of Castilla y Leon in northern Spain. Farmers in Zamora, a region famous for its wolf population, do not welcome another predator even though the lynx never kills livestock. In Aragon, in eastern Spain, the conservative People's Party rules in conjunction with the hard-right Vox party , which opposes the return of the lynx. Farmers in Catalonia staged a demonstration with their tractors in February and forced the Catalan regional government to drop plans to bring back the lynx. ADVERTISEMENT Despite a plague of rabbits devouring crops in agricultural areas like Lleida, farmers believe the lynx would make things worse, even though the rabbit is the feline's favourite dinner. Mar Ariza, a 27-year-old farmer from Revolta Pagesa, points to a 2024 study in the Journal for Nature Conservation, which found that lynx actually increase rabbit populations in some areas. The report said lynx act as 'natural gamekeepers' - preying on weaker or younger rabbits but not reducing the overall rabbit population. The same study found that lynx reduce red fox, stone marten and other predators. Vírgula, a one-year-old Iberian lynx, embraces freedom after her release on 28 April 2025. Proyecto LIFE Lynx Connect Despite the opposition to rewilding the feline, Maria Jesús Palacios, who leads lynx conservation programmes in Extremadura, believes the feline's future is assured. ADVERTISEMENT 'We have managed to make hunters see that the lynx helps them because it is a super predator and it helps to regulate the countryside by eliminating any other rivals,' she told Euronews Green. 'When we started this project they did not believe us. But they have been able to see with their own eyes that this is a reality.' Palacios said she believed that opposition among farmers in parts of Spain would wane and said regional authorities would back conservation projects in the future. Felipe García works for regional authorities in Extremadura protecting the lynx but at weekends indulges his hobby of hunting. He shows off his photographs of deer and rabbit hunts. ADVERTISEMENT 'I think that it is good that hunters can now see that the lynx can be good for the countryside and is not a pest. It kills off foxes and other rivals who would prey on rabbits,' he said. Related An Estonian wolf hunt took me deep into Europe's culture war over culling the wild species Toxic dust and stressed seals: What the shrinking Caspian Sea could mean for people and nature Once hunted for money, now lynx live in luxury At the turn of the 20th century, Spanish hunters could earn nearly 4 pesetas (roughly enough to buy 16kg of bread) for every lynx they killed, as the animal was officially regarded as a pest. Now the animal lives in some of the most exclusive estates in rural Spain which are run for hunting. The feline is welcomed by their well-off hosts because it kills rival predators like foxes . An 8,000-hectare estate in Valencia de las Torres, in the south of Extremadura, has about 60 lynx, one of the largest communities in Spain. ADVERTISEMENT The estate is the property of Sheik Mansour, the owner of Manchester City football club, and it is a paradise for the lynx as it is teeming with rabbits. On La Encomienda estate - about an hour's drive away from Los Mil Quinientos - we waited at the top of a hill looking for lynx. Suddenly the rural agent's radio went Beep!, beep!, beep! A lynx, wearing an electronic collar as many of the animals are tracked, was close. Quietar, a three-year-old female, suddenly popped up in front of us, looking almost like a large pet cat, then dashed away. ADVERTISEMENT Related Elephant retirement home: This zoo in Spain is helping elderly animals to age gracefully What does the future hold for the Iberian lynx? Steve Cracknell, a rewilding expert and author of The Improbable Rewilding of the Pyrenees, says that despite resistance to bringing back the lynx, the animal will cross regional borders of its own accord. 'This has been a great success. It was facing extinction and now it has reached a population of 2,000. And it has changed attitudes towards the lynx ,' he adds. Conservationists believe that attitudes not just towards the lynx but also towards domesticated animals have fundamentally changed in Spain in recent decades. Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente, the late naturalist often referred to as the 'Spanish David Attenborough', is credited with beginning this change in mentality in a nation famous - or infamous - for bullfighting . ADVERTISEMENT
The Guardian
23-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Europe's big carnivores are on the rise – but can we live with bears next door?
Europe's carnivores have had a remarkable change in fortune. After tens of thousands of years of persecution that wiped out sabretooth tigers, hyenas and cave lions, there has been a recent rebound in the continent's surviving predators. Across mainland Europe, bear, wolf, lynx and wolverine numbers have risen dramatically as conservation measures introduced several decades ago have begun to make an impact. There are now about 20,500 brown bears in Europe, a rise of 17% since 2016, while there are 9,400 Eurasian lynx, a 12% increase. The continent now has 1,300 wolverines, an increase of 16%, while, remarkably, Europe's population of wild wolves has jumped by 35% to 23,000. Only the golden jackal has done better. Its population – which is concentrated in southern Europe – now stands at 150,000, a rise of 46% since 2016. Animals that were once hunted as vermin while their habitats were turned to farmland are returning. The howl of the wolf, the grunt of the bear and the noise of their padding through forests and plains is being heard again across Europe. The century's most striking continental carnivore comeback is that of the Iberian lynx, or Lynx pardinus. There were fewer than a hundred of these distinctive feline predators 25 years ago, in their last stronghold in southern Spain. Lynx pardinus, a smaller, more brightly coloured relative of the Eurasian lynx, was the most endangered cat on the planet. Today, its status has changed from being 'critically endangered' to merely being 'vulnerable' as its numbers have soared. However, saving the lynx required considerable political action and investment that included the introduction of laws in Andalusía to halt indiscriminate snare-laying by landowners; an intense PR campaign aimed at persuading owners of hunting estates to love the lynx; and an initial expenditure of €33m (£28.5m) to fund conservation. This has since been followed up by further investment in work to reintroduce the lynx to other areas of Spain and Portugal, with the bulk from the EU. It is a striking, heartening story, although it also raises a host of controversial issues that will form the background to this week's UN biodiversity conference in Rome. How is Europe going to live with its rising population of wolves, bears and lynx? How can local people be properly compensated for the damage done by predators that attack herds of goats or reindeer? And who should pay that compensation? These are key questions – for the return of European carnivores may delight wildlife lovers but it also threatens to trigger bitter battles between conservationists and local people. Two years ago, hunters shot dead 54 wolves in a cull in Sweden, prompting fury from conservationists – and satisfaction among local farmers who considered the predators a threat to their livelihoods. But one group of researchers have asked in the run-up to the Rome biodiversity summit: just who is a local? The group, led by Hanna Pettersson of the Leverhulme Centre for Anthropocene Biodiversity at York University, argue there is a worrying lack of clarity about who is 'local' in Europe and this failure is triggering 'the introduction of unjust and ineffective strategies for dealing with carnivores'. It is a particularly European problem. In other parts of the world, indigenous people are given special rights and protections. However, Europe only has one indigenous people: the Sami, who live in land that straddles Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. 'For the rest of the continent, the 'locals' could include pretty much anyone, making it difficult to understand with whom to work to develop co-existence mechanisms,' Pettersson and colleagues write in their paper which is published this week in the journal People and Nature. Hotspots for carnivore disruption include the spread of bears in the Pyrenees, wolves in Italy and wolverines in Scandinavia. 'The crucial point is that we will soon be dealing with carnivores in an unprecedented way,' added Pettersson. 'In the past, we lived with high numbers but it was accepted then that you could keep them at bay with violence and fear. Now we cannot do that. You can't just go out and shoot a bear or wolf or you might be fined or jailed. 'We are going to have to develop far more flexible strategies that involve local people who can guide us to the best policies for dealing with carnivores in particular places if we want to make sure that their return in Europe is done in a sustainable and fair manner.' A system that exaggerates the damage caused by a predator will lead to unnecessary and controversial culls, while one that underestimates the problem will inflict unfair hardship on local people by blocking the compensation they deserve for damage caused by predators. 'We need to find ways to combine genuine local knowledge with scientific knowledge,' said Pettersson. 'At the moment we are not doing that.'
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Lack of genetic diversity among red squirrels poses disease threat, study finds
Worryingly low levels of genetic diversity make Scotland's red squirrels especially vulnerable to disease, a study has shown. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh said this could explain why the mammals are so slow to develop resistance to the squirrelpox virus, which is carried by non-native grey squirrels and fatal to reds. The study saw researchers analyse the entire genetic code of 106 red squirrels from across Scotland and Formby in north-west England. They found the species had lower levels of genetic diversity than some of the world's most endangered animals, including the Iberian lynx and the Amur tiger. Genetic diversity is important for species' survival as it helps them adapt to environmental changes, as well as making them more resilient to threats like disease and habitat loss. Historical records show that they have faced many threats in the past, and this is clearly reflected in their DNA which shows worryingly low levels of diversity Dr Melissa Marr, University of Edinburgh Researchers pointed out that the squirrels' movement across Scotland is restricted by natural and man-made barriers, including the Cairngorm mountains in the north and cities in the central belt. This has resulted, they said, in squirrels living in pockets of isolated populations, with the north east of Scotland being one of the only areas the animals can move freely from north to south. Red squirrels are endangered in the UK and considered a conservation priority in Scotland, a key stronghold for the animals. Study lead Dr Melissa Marr, from the University of Edinburgh, said the study was the first to use 'whole genomes' to study Scotland's red squirrels. 'Historical records show that they have faced many threats in the past, and this is clearly reflected in their DNA which shows worryingly low levels of diversity,' she said. 'By highlighting this low genetic diversity, and how their populations are spread over the landscape, our findings offer critical new information to help secure the future of this iconic native species for generations to come.' The researchers said continued genetic monitoring and interventions are urgently needed to improve the species' diversity and boost conservation efforts. They suggested 'translocating' squirrels between populations could be one way of introducing more genetic diversity. Samples for the study were sourced from the red squirrel disease surveillance programme at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, which has been analysing red squirrel mortality across Scotland for 20 years. The study team also included scientists from Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and National Museums Scotland (NMS), which provided additional samples for the study. Dr Andrew Kitchener, senior curator of vertebrate biology at NMS, described the important role the museum's collections played in the research. 'Samples from red squirrels in our natural sciences collection from different populations in Britain covering the last 30 years have enabled this study to look at population changes over that time, and for any regional variation. 'This underlines the importance of collections like ours at NMS, amassed over the long-term, which enables us to reflect changes in the environment over time. 'In addition to physical specimens, we have in recent years established a growing biobank of tissue samples, which are crucial in providing high quality DNA for whole genome studies such as this one.' The study, which is published in the journal Evolutionary Applications, was funded by UKRI-NERC and the University of Edinburgh, FLS and CryoArks.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lack of genetic diversity among red squirrels poses disease threat, study finds
Worryingly low levels of genetic diversity make Scotland's red squirrels especially vulnerable to disease, a study has shown. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh said this could explain why the mammals are so slow to develop resistance to the squirrelpox virus, which is carried by non-native grey squirrels and fatal to reds. The study saw researchers analyse the entire genetic code of 106 red squirrels from across Scotland and Formby in north-west England. They found the species had lower levels of genetic diversity than some of the world's most endangered animals, including the Iberian lynx and the Amur tiger. Genetic diversity is important for species' survival as it helps them adapt to environmental changes, as well as making them more resilient to threats like disease and habitat loss. Researchers pointed out that the squirrels' movement across Scotland is restricted by natural and man-made barriers, including the Cairngorm mountains in the north and cities in the central belt. This has resulted, they said, in squirrels living in pockets of isolated populations, with the north east of Scotland being one of the only areas the animals can move freely from north to south. Red squirrels are endangered in the UK and considered a conservation priority in Scotland, a key stronghold for the animals. Study lead Dr Melissa Marr, from the University of Edinburgh, said the study was the first to use 'whole genomes' to study Scotland's red squirrels. 'Historical records show that they have faced many threats in the past, and this is clearly reflected in their DNA which shows worryingly low levels of diversity,' she said. 'By highlighting this low genetic diversity, and how their populations are spread over the landscape, our findings offer critical new information to help secure the future of this iconic native species for generations to come.' The researchers said continued genetic monitoring and interventions are urgently needed to improve the species' diversity and boost conservation efforts. They suggested 'translocating' squirrels between populations could be one way of introducing more genetic diversity. Samples for the study were sourced from the red squirrel disease surveillance programme at the University of Edinburgh's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, which has been analysing red squirrel mortality across Scotland for 20 years. The study team also included scientists from Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and National Museums Scotland (NMS), which provided additional samples for the study. Dr Andrew Kitchener, senior curator of vertebrate biology at NMS, described the important role the museum's collections played in the research. 'Samples from red squirrels in our natural sciences collection from different populations in Britain covering the last 30 years have enabled this study to look at population changes over that time, and for any regional variation. 'This underlines the importance of collections like ours at NMS, amassed over the long-term, which enables us to reflect changes in the environment over time. 'In addition to physical specimens, we have in recent years established a growing biobank of tissue samples, which are crucial in providing high quality DNA for whole genome studies such as this one.' The study, which is published in the journal Evolutionary Applications, was funded by UKRI-NERC and the University of Edinburgh, FLS and CryoArks.
