Portugal news – In the early 20th century, there were around 100,000 Lynx on the Iberian Peninsula. In 2021, there was only 1% of that number and the Iberian Lynx was on its way to be the first Wildcat to become extinct. Two years later, is the number of Iberian Lynx increasing in Portugal?
A captive breeding program has steadily increased the number of Iberian Lynx living in the wild on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal’s Greater Côa Valley, that lies nestled between the Douro River and the Malcata mountains, is a place where river gorges, oak forests and fields hide the elusive Iberian Lynx.
There is an Iberian Lynx national breeding centre, the CNRLI in Silves in the Algarve, that is located in southern Portugal. In March 2023, the 100th Lynx born in captivity at the CNRLI was released in Andalusia in Spain.
Portugal’s Guadiana Valley in Beja, that is in the Alentejo region, is dotted with ancient watermills, riverbanks, plains, sharp ravines as well as the Pulo do Lobo waterfall, that means the Wolf’s Leap. Now the Guadiana Valley is also the home of over 30 breeding female Iberian Lynx, a number that ensures that the species is now able to survive in the wild.
Conservation efforts have increased the number of Iberian Lynx from only 94 in 2002 to over 1,100 in 2021, a success that has prevented the extinction of the species that is now classified as endangered instead of nearly extinct. However, continued conservation efforts are critical for reaching a sustainable population of at least 3,000 Lynx.
Conservation has led to increasing the numbers of Iberian Lynx in the wild across the Iberian Peninsula, but the species still remains elusive and mysterious.
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