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 Iberlince - Recovering the historic
distribution range of the Iberian lynx (Lynx
pardinus) in Spain and Portugal
LIFE10 NAT/ES/000570
Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data R e a d m o r e Contact details:
Project Manager: Belen GUALDA GONZALEZ
Tel: +34 670 945185
Fax: +34 955003777
Email: sgmaycc.cmaot@juntadeandalucia.es
Project description:
Background
Up until the 19th century, the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) could be found in all
the regions of Spain and Portugal. Since then, and particularly in the last decades
of the 20th century, its population and distribution area have suffered an
alarming decline. The species is the most threatened carnivorous mammal in
Europe. There are currently only two reproductive populations of Iberian lynx,
both in Andalusia (Doñana-Aljarafe and Eastern Sierra Morena). This
medium-sized feline (8-14 kg) lives in areas characterised by a mixture of dense
woodland, Mediterranean scrub and pasture. It prospers in areas with an
abundance of it s m ai n p rey - ra b b i t s - a n d wh e r e i n t e r f e r e n c e f r o m h u m a ns is
minimal. The main causes of its decline have been epidemics that have greatly
reduced rabbit population, resulting in a lack of food and loss of habitat. LIFE
projects have already worked to improve the conservation status of this species,
improving knowledge and understanding of its needs, developing a captive
breeding and release programme and developing rabbit populations. However,
many challenges remain and the species is not yet safe. Objectives
This transnational project (Spain-Portugal) aims at restoring the historical
distribution of the Iberian Lynx across areas of Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha,
Extremadura (all in Spain) and Portugal. The project will work to reinforce
Extremadura (all in Spain) and Portugal. The project will work to reinforce
numbers of the species in the existing populations, and establish new
populations in areas identified as appropriate. The project will introduce
individual animals both bred in captivity or captured elsewhere to increase the
numbers of animals in the existing populations and increase the genetic diversity
of these populations. It will also seek to increase their breeding and survival
rates by continuing work to improve the habitat to favour the species and
particularly to facilitate a quantifiable increase of connectivity between
population cores through corridors. The project will continue to develop
measures to improve the co-operation of relevant stakeholders in protecting the
species, particularly landowners, hunters and road users. These combined
actions seek to decrease the mortality of the species from accidental road death,
furtive hunting and pursuit and other negligent activities, including poisoning.
The project will carefully identify areas with sufficient resources for the
reintroduction of self-sustaining populations of lynx in Portugal, Castilla-La
Mancha, Extremadura and Andalusia. It will then use habitat-improvement and
threat-reduction measures and strategic release to try to establish four new
Iberian lynx populations, each with five territorial females, in the most suitable
of these. Expected results: Increase the numbers of existing Iberian lynx populations to 70
territorial females in Eastern Sierra Morena and 25 in Doñana-Aljarafe;
Increase the heterozygosity of existing populations by 7% in
Doñana-Aljarafe and by 3% in Eastern Sierra Morena; Decrease in mortality rates of the species from different identified
causes: road kill by 30%; furtive hunting and pursuit by 20%; other
negligence by 10%; and infectious diseases by 10%;
Establish four new Iberian lynx populations with five territorial females
each in different SCIs where the species was present historically; and Achieve a specimen fixation rate of no less than 50% from the released
individuals and a recruitment of no less than 33% from the
reintroduced females. Results
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Environmental issues addressed:
Themes
Species - Mammals
Keywords
endemic species‚ introduction of animal species Target species
Lynx pardinus Natura 2000 sites
SCI ES0000024
SCI ES0000050
SCI ES0000051
SCI ES0000052
SCI ES0000053
SCI ES4210016
SCI ES4250005
SCI ES4310045
SCI ES4320002
SCI ES4320013
SCI ES6130001
SCI ES6130003
SCI ES6130004
SCI ES6130005
SCI ES6130006
SCI ES6130007
SCI ES6140006
SCI ES6150009
SCI ES6150010
SCI ES6150012
SCI ES6150021
SCI ES6150022
SCI ES6150023
SCI ES6160005
SCI ES6160006
SCI ES6160008
SCI ES6180005
SCI ES6200003
SCI ES6200018
SCI ES6200035
SCI PTCON0004
SCI PTCON0036
SCI PTCON0053
SCI ES4320077
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Beneficiaries:
DOÑANA
SIERRA DE HORNACHUELOS
SIERRA DE ARACENA Y PICOS DE AROCHE
SIERRA PELADA Y RIVERA DEL ASERRADOR
SIERRA NORTE
SIERRA DEL RELUMBRAR Y ESTRIBACIONES DE ALCARAZ
MONTES DE TOLEDO
VALDECIGÜEÑAS
Cedillo y Río Tajo Internacional
GRANADILLA
SIERRA DE CARDEÑA Y MONTORO
SIERRA DE SANTA EUFEMIA
Río Guadalmez
SUROESTE DE LA SIERRA DE CARDEÑA Y MONTORO
GUADALMELLATO
GUADIATO-BEMBEZAR
SIERRA DE ARANA
DOÑANA NORTE Y OESTE
Andévalo Occidental
DEHESA DEL ESTERO Y MONTES DE MOGUER
Corredor Ecológico del Río Tinto
RIVERA DE CHANZA
DEHESA DE TORRECUADROS Y ARROYO DE PILAS
DESPEÑAPERROS
SIERRAS DE ANDÚJAR
CUENCAS DEL RUMBLAR, GUADALEN Y GUADALMENA
Corredor Ecológico del Río Guadiamar
Sierra de La Pila
Sierra de la Muela
Sierra de Almenara
Malcata
Guadiana
Moura / Barrancos
MONFRAGÜE
Coordinator
Type of organisation
Description
Partners
Consejería de Medio Ambiente. Junta de
Andalucía.
Regional authority
Consejería de Medio Ambiente (Junta de
Andalucía), is the regional ministry for the
environment in Andalusia, with full powers in
nature conservation. Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e da
Biodiversidade-Ministério do Ambiente e do
Ordenamento do Território, Portugal
Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales
(Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Medio Rural y
Marino), Spain Consejería de Industria, Energía
y Medio Ambiente (Junta de Extremadura),
Spain Consejería de Agricultura y Medio
Ambiente (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla –
La Mancha), Spain Consejería de Medio
Ambiente (Comunidad Autónoma de la Región
de Murcia), Spain Federación Extremeña de
Caza (FEDEREX), Spain Empresa de Gestión
Medio-Ambiental Sociedad Anónima (EGMASA),
Spain Federación Andaluza de Caza (FAC),
Spain Consejería de Obras Públicas y
Transportes (Junta de Andalucía), Spain
Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca (Junta de
Andalucía), Spain Sociedad Española para la
Conservación y Estudio de los Mamíferos
(SECEM), Spain Fundación CBD-Hábitat, Spain
Ecologistas en Acción Andalucía, Spain
sociación de Propietarios Rurales, Productores
de Caza y Conservadores del Medio Natural de
España (APROCA), Spain Arturo Menor (ACAJÚ),
Spain WWF-España Asociación para la Defensa
de la Naturaleza de Extremadura (ADENEX),
Spain Top
Administrative data:
Project reference
Duration
Total budget
EU contribution
Project location
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LIFE10 NAT/ES/000570
01-SEP-2011 to 31-DEC -2017
34,015,188.00 €
20,943,399.00 €
Extremadura(España),Andalucía(España),Murcia(España)
Read more:
Project web site
Project's website
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Project description Environmental issues Beneficiaries Administrative data R e a d m o r e