Back from the brink: IUCN changes Iberian lynx’s status to ‘vulnerable’ from ‘endangered’ in conservation success story

Back from the brink: IUCN changes Iberian lynx’s status to ‘vulnerable’ from ‘endangered’ in conservation success story

Sub: Environment

Sec: Species in news

Context:

• The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) has been reclassified from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Vulnerable’ by the IUCN on June 20.
• Population increased from 62 mature individuals in 2001 to 648 in 2022.
• Total population, including young lynx, is now over 2,000.

Conservation Efforts:

• Efforts over nearly 25 years have focused on:
  • Increasing prey abundance, specifically the Endangered European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
  • Protecting and restoring Mediterranean scrub and forest habitats.
  • Reducing human-caused deaths.
• Genetic diversity has been expanded through translocations and an ex-situ breeding program.
• Since 2010, over 400 lynxes have been reintroduced to parts of Portugal and Spain.
• Occupied range increased from 449 km² in 2005 to 3,320 km².

Remaining Threats:

• Fluctuations in European rabbit populations due to virus outbreaks.
• Susceptibility to diseases from domestic cats, poaching, road kills, and habitat changes from climate change.

Future Plans:

• Continued efforts are needed for the Iberian lynx to thrive.
• Plans include reintroducing the species to new sites in central and northern Spain.
• Scientists believe the species could reach Fully Recovered status in 100 years if conservation efforts remain effective.

Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus):

• The Iberian lynx is the world’s most endangered feline species.
• Characteristic Features: Of all lynx, the Iberian has the most heavily spotted coat.
  • The cat has white underparts. This species, like other cat species, is sexually dimorphic, with males being heavier and longer than females.
    • Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species.
• Habitat: The Iberian lynx lives in Mediterranean forests composed of native oaks and abundant undergrowth and thickets.
  • It favours a mixture of dense scrub for shelter and open pasture for hunting.
  • Iberian lynx are found only in two small areas of southwest Spain on the Iberian Peninsula, west of the Pyrenees mountains. 
• Threats: 
  • Habitat destruction and alteration due to agricultural and industrial development
  • Conversion of native Mediterranean forest to plantations with no undergrowth
  • Direct persecution
  • Killed by automobiles
  • Caught illegally or hunted with dogs
  • Killed in traps set for other predators
• Conservation Status: 
  • The Iberian lynx is protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Source: DTE