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Date Published: 28/01/2022

ARCHIVED - Endangered Iberian lynx to be reintroduced in Lorca reservoir

The Region of Murcia is working to increase the wild lynx population in Spain

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Endangered Iberian lynx to be reintroduced in Lorca reservoir

Following an agreement between the Region of Murcia and the Junta de Andalucía, both governments have been working towards reintroducing the endangered lynx to lands where the species once roamed in great numbers as part of the Project Life initiative. This week, the General Directorate of the Natural Environment in Murcia has requested the necessary permits from the Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS) to introduce the Iberian lynx in areas around the Puentes reservoir in Lorca.

This area is public domain and falls under the jurisdiction of the CHS, whose administration will need to issue two separate reports on the request before the endangered species can be introduced.

Project Life, organised by the European Commission, aims to increase both the numbers and the domain of the Iberian lynx in Spain, by creating new populations, such as the one in Lorca, and strengthening the existing ones.

By setting lynxes free in and around the Puentes reservoir, the Region of Murcia will be one step closer to recovering its lynx population, after the species was pushed to the brink of extinction at the beginning of this century as a result of poaching and the degradation of the natural environment.

Although the number of wild lynxes has increased in recent years, from under 100 in 2002 to over 1,000 last year, the species is still on the WWF’s (World Wide Fund) endangered animal list, making conservation efforts vitally important to the survival of one of Spain’s most emblematic species.

Image: WWF

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