Latest news with #LynxReintroduction
The Independent
05-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Releasing lynx into the wild would be disastrous for Britain's farmers
You'd be forgiven for thinking it was an imaginative, if not bloodthirsty, way to get rid of farmers protesting against the new inheritance tax rules. In June, the Lynx UK Trust , an organisation that campaigns to reintroduce wild Lynx to areas of rural Britain formally applied to reintroduce the cats to the Kielder forest in Northumberland. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) promptly refused, on the grounds that Lynx are classified as dangerous wild animals. But then the head of the government's wildlife regulator stepped in. Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England said he personally was 'enthusiastic' about reintroducing wild lynx to Britain – and would be 'absolutely delighted' if it could be achieved during his two-year term. In rural East Yorkshire, where I work, this was met with a degree of eye-rolling. People in agriculture have been aware of the proposals for a while, but until now, no one took them seriously. That has shifted a notch to: 'they couldn't… could they?' I do not work in agriculture, but my dad's family were tenant farmers, smallholders and contractors. My brother works on an arable farm on the Yorkshire Wolds, and I meet a lot of people in the industry. Politically, I always find myself caught in the middle ground. I think farmers moan too much and are too resistant to change, and I think too much farm and conservation policy is made by experts who give a good impression of not really knowing what they're doing. In this case, you have to say the reintroduction of the lynx to the wild in Britain would cause many problems for farmers – although it's not all about farms and the cats themselves. The most obvious issue – so obvious that it is acknowledged by lynx advocates – is the risk to livestock. There is no question that on large, upland farms, lambs would be killed. The Lynx to Scotland campaign group proposes financial compensation schemes to cover this, but you wonder about the limitations – surely once the predators know where the easy meals are, they will be back – repeatedly? And how do you prove a missing lamb was taken? This would not affect only sheep. In Europe, the lynx's preferred prey is deer, and there are about 30,000 farmed deer on 400 farms in the UK. You'd worry for outdoor-reared pigs as well. I know a man from a farm in Poland, where wolf numbers have grown in recent years, who tells stories about his family at home bringing in stock from the fields at night to protect them, so it's feasible that on some deer, pig and sheep farms we would see some form of evening round-up, or shelters being built. There is then the question of game on country estates. Few people, or indeed animals, will shed tears over barons and bankers being deprived of the chance to bag pheasant, but the awkward fact is that hunting tends to go hand in hand with a strong degree of nature conservation. Of course, landowners aren't going to give that up because a lynx snarfs a snipe here and there, but what they will do is get their gamekeepers to shoot them. The less obvious risk concerns not commercially bred animals, but domestic pets. A lynx's hunting range can be up to about 170 square miles, and they can travel up to around 12 miles a night. That would surely allow for them to enter rural housing developments, estates and villages in search of food, in the way foxes and deer do fairly routinely now. Given cats' noisy predilection for fighting, it seems a very real possibility that, in winter, they would end up attacking domestic pets. At this point, especially if it happens in a quiet news period, it would all become a very different kind of problem. Where that could affect farmers is in local pressure to fence-in land abutting housing. Given the increasing public complaints about the noise, smell and mud that are inextricably linked with agriculture, it would hardly be a surprise, should the circumstances arise. Admittedly, this is highly speculative and slightly paranoid, but it is worth pointing out that some rewilding schemes do have unintended consequences. Nature is full of unforeseen knock-on effects: this year, my neighbour got a rather murderous house cat, and the hay and barley fields next door are visibly less eaten-off by rabbits, because the cat has either eaten them or scared them off. Similarly, it appears to me and several local birdwatchers I know that the reintroduction of birds of prey, combined with the policy of cutting hedges less frequently, has visibly reduced the number of small birds. This is because, unable to get deep into the hedge any more, they nest on the outer edges where the nests make easy targets for sparrowhawks. It's for reasons like this that I find the idea of rewilding dubious in its insistence that nature somehow finds its own healthy balance; such balance as it finds is a lot healthier for the predator than for the prey. I can see that it can work in vast spaces – to be fair the reintroduction of lynx in areas of Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland seems to have worked without too much carnage. However, in most of the UK, the space is far from vast, and benefits from some sort of management. Finally, if the UK government's wildlife body does approve the reintroduction of the lynx, it may have another, more vague effect on farmers because of its symbolism. There has been no coherent agricultural policy from the current or the previous government, and there is a sense in the industry that these days MPs would rather just get the food from overseas, and pack in with food production altogether to save the greenhouse gas emissions. That may or may not be true – but releasing a livestock predator back into the wild would be interpreted by many as a certain signal of intent.
Daily Mail
01-07-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Will Lynx be freely roaming Britain in two years' time? Natural England chief says they should be
The chair of Natural England has renewed calls for Lynx to be reintroduced to Britain. Tony Juniper, the chair of Natural England, said he would be 'absolutely delighted' if the re-introduction of the cats could be achieved during his two-year term. However he admitted debates about the release of the animals remain 'polarised' and said more engagement with the public was needed. The Lynx UK Trust has submitted a draft application for a trial return of lynx to Kielder forest in Northumberland, England's largest forest, using wild animals which have been rescued from Sweden, The Guardian reported. The Labrador-sized cats, live in forests and mainly prey on rabbits and dear and do not pose a threat to humans. The Eurasian lynx was once native to Scotland but was driven to extinction some 500-1000 years ago through hunting and habitat loss. It has since been reintroduced back in several parts of Europe, including in areas used for farming, hunting, forestry and tourism. The predator could help control booming numbers of roe deer, supporters of the plan have argued. Officials at Natural England have told the Lynx UK Trust that a trial has been halted because the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) rules it illegal under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. The charity's chief executive Paul O'Donoghue has called for environment secretary Steve Reed to make the necessary legal tweak to solve the problem, however has not been able to arrange a meeting with Mr Reed. Mr Juniper said he hoped a cross-border conversation with officials in Scotland could help boost the chances for a return of the Lynx to the UK. He said: 'Lynx do need big areas of habitat and there could be some opportunities to combine nature recovery over parts of northern England with what's going on in southern Scotland' 'It is still quite polarised and some of these things will remain divided no matter how much effort you put in, but we need more engagement to understand how communities that would be living with these animals would be able to continue with what they do. There are in some places still serious doubts about that.' Paul O'Donoghue hit back saying calls for more engagement were a 'waste of time'. He said: 'Unless he has been living under a rock for the past 30 years, Tony Juniper must know that sheep farmers will never change their position on lynx reintroduction, making more calls for more engagement utterly sad and stark truth is that currently the government are actively blocking any legal attempt at lynx reintroduction.' Two other charities are also working to try and get the cats reintroduced into Britain. The Missing Lynx Project is also working towards a reintroduction project in Keilder, while the Lynx to Scotland charity recently published a 100-page report on a potential return to the Cairngorms. The report sought to address concerns from sheep farmers, recomending payments for losses and a rapid-response system for farmers whose flocks were being targeted. Four Lynx were illegally released into the Cairngorms in January. Three were recaptured and re-homed while another died in the wild. Many believe the animals were released from a private collection and were too tame to survive in the wild. Mr O'Donoghue preferred the introduction into Kielder, arguing it offers a spacious area that most benefits the animals, in a forest with few sheep farmers. He argued the move would also generate millions of pounds to the local economy, bringing sustainably jobs to the area. He claimed a reintroduction in Harz in Germany was so successful that a second one is being planned. Asked about a potential legal challenge over the latest lynx reintroduction application, a Defra spokesperson said: 'This government is absolutely committed to restoring and protecting nature and we support species. We will continue to work with Natural England on species re-introductions in England.' The government is understood to want more evidence before any reintroduction is considered.
The Herald Scotland
23-05-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Lynx likely to predate on sheep and lambs if reintroduced, study finds
It suggested an effective management system could include paying farmers for losses and co-existence, with relocation or lethal control as 'necessary components' of any framework to manage the issue. The report also found lynx could have a 'significant' impact on gamebirds in places where the species come into contact, though they are unlikely to play a major part in the animals' diet at a national level. But it found there is 'sufficient quantity and quality of habitat' in Scotland to support a viable lynx population. The report said the predators, while not a 'silver bullet', could help with deer population control and could help other species. The report outlines conclusions and recommendations agreed following a nine-month discussion which involved 53 stakeholders including farming and landowner organisations, gamekeepers, conservationists, foresters and tourism operators. Lynx to Scotland: A new 100-page report provides the most detailed analysis yet of what a #LynxReintroduction project in Scotland would need to do to ensure #lynx and people could coexist. 🐆 It outlines conclusions and recommendations from Scotland's National Lynx Discussion -… — Trees for Life (@treesforlifeuk) May 23, 2025 The National Lynx Discussion was organised by the Lynx to Scotland partnership which is assessing the feasibility of reintroducing the Eurasian lynx to the Scottish Highlands for the first time in about 1,300 years. Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life and a member of the stakeholder group, said: 'We met 12 times for over 50 hours in total. Deep and extensive discussions allowed us to learn lessons from lynx reintroductions in Europe, assess possible impacts if lynx are returned to Scotland, and recommend key actions to avoid or manage potential problems. 'While not everyone who took part supports the return of lynx, we now have a clear understanding of what needs to be put in place if a reintroduction is to happen. 'The Lynx to Scotland partnership must now work out if and how the recommendations can be delivered, and take that out to local consultation when we have clear proposals.' When considering the impact on deer populations the report said that lynx could help achieve a more 'natural balance of species' within the ecosystem, though noted that they are unlikely to replace culling by humans or the impact of weather. They may also have a positive impact on species of conservation concern such as capercaillie, black grouse and wildcats by preying on 'mesopredators', particularly foxes. The report acknowledged there might be 'some concern around the public safety aspect of having a large carnivore in the landscape.' Lynx were driven to extinction in the UK hundreds of years ago (Ben Birchall/PA) However, it noted lynx are 'secretive animals which are rarely encountered by humans in the wild in their current natural range' and said there are no recorded instances of healthy lynx attacking people. The report stated lynx pose no realistic threat to humans and said the predators 'should not discourage anyone from letting their children play in the woods'. It also noted that despite their elusive nature, the presence of lynx could boost income from tourism. Evidence from Europe suggests merely the knowledge that a large carnivore exists in the landscape is enough to increase visitor numbers and significantly increase tourism income, according to the report. Any reintroduction of lynx would need approval from the Scottish Government, which would follow ecological assessments and a full public consultation. Stakeholder group member Andrew Bauer, who has experience of species reintroduction policy in Scotland, said: 'Our recommendations aim to address the fact that we agreed there could be negative impacts on some rural livelihoods if lynx were reintroduced without proper checks and balances to prevent problems or manage them.' Lynx to Scotland is a partnership between Trees for Life, Scotland: The Big Picture and the Lifescape Project.
