The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced that the Iberian lynx is no longer an endangered species, but rather a vulnerable one. This decision was made official on Thursday by the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, through a social media post. The IUCN will update the lynx’s status, which has seen a significant increase in population from just over 100 individuals to a historical milestone of 2,000 live specimens. According to Minister Teresa Ribera, the number of lynxes has reached 2,021, with a large proportion being adults and a significant number of cubs.
The Iberian lynx has become an example of how to safeguard species in Europe, and its recovery is attributed to the Life Lynxconnect project. The project has been a collaborative effort between different administrations, including the Junta de Andalucía, the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha, the Junta de Extremadura, and the Region of Murcia, as well as environmental organizations.
The recovery of the Iberian lynx is also credited to the Doñana Natural Reserve, which has played a key role in the species’ conservation. In 2005, the first Iberian lynxes were born in captivity at the El Acebuche center in Huelva, and some of these babies were reintroduced into the wild in Lorca. While some of these reintroduced lynxes did not survive due to human impact, such as being hit by cars or ingesting plastic, the overall results of the European project in the Iberian Peninsula have been positive.
Minister Ribera has highlighted the importance of conserving natural spaces like Doñana, so that the lynx can continue to exist without the need for human intervention. The Iberian lynx’s recovery serves as a success story for species conservation in Europe.