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The threats to the tiger and the snow leopard in Asia are widely reported and well known. What is less well known is that much closer to home, another big cat is desperately close to extinction: the Iberian lynx of Spain and Portugal. The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) is the most endangered cat species in the world and is the only cat classified as Critically Endangered. The rate of decline in their population in the last 50 years has been dramatic, and during the last decade catastrophic. The most recent reports indicating that there are fewer than 150 wild individuals left, mainly restricted to two isolated populations in southern Spain. The decline in lynx populations is due to a number of factors including scarcity of prey, loss and fragmentation of its cork oak and maquis habitats, road casualties and illegal killing. The Iberian lynx has been dying on our doorstep for too long; please help Fauna & Flora International bring this beautiful and timid cat back from the brink.
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Fauna & Flora International is implementing a strategy for the conservation of the Iberian Lynx in both Portugal and Spain. The strategy aims to secure and manage a belt of land across southern Spain and Portugal that will provide a corridor of suitable habitat large enough to support a viable population of this threatened cat. In addition to protecting a habitat of recognized global importance, the corridor will allow for the reconnection of currently isolated lynx populations and, in the future, for the secure reintroduction into the wild of individuals reared in sanctuaries. A key to the recovery of the Iberian Lynx is the restoration of the rabbit population. Rabbits, which are native to the Iberian Peninsula, form more than 90% of the Iberian Lynx diet. A male Iberian Lynx catches one rabbit a day, whilst a breeding female will need up to 5 rabbits a day to raise her family. The introduction of myxomatosis and the subsequent impact of haemorrhagic fever almost resulted in the local extinction of rabbits in Iberia, and populations now stand at only 5% of their 1950s levels. Land management strategies include improving the habitat for rabbits, which will benefit breeding lynx. Fauna & Flora International has formed partnerships with leading conservation NGOs in both Portugal and Spain. A small but highly effective lynx project team has been established within the Portuguese NGO, 'Liga Para A Protecção Da Natureza' (LPN) focusing on securing land in the Algarve and southern Alentejo. Together FFI and LPN have managed to secure over 10,000 hectares of prime lynx habitat through innovative agreements with landowners. FFI has also recently developed links in Spain with CBD-Habitat to support their on-going work in the Sierra Morena mountains. With your support we can provide a suitable sanctuary in the wild where the Iberian Lynx can once again thrive, and the beauty and rural traditions of this captivating corner of the world can be protected. Please support Fauna & Flora International today and be part of our crucial work to save endangered landscapes and species across the globe.