The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has changed the listing for the Iberian lynx species, or Lynx pardinus, from Endangered to Vulnerable in the organization’s Red List, a list detailing the extinction risk of species around the world.
Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, coordinator of the LIFE Lynx-Connect project that led conservation efforts for the species, described the population rebound as “The greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation” in a statement by IUCN.
The change listing follows more than 20 years of recovery efforts to save the Iberian lynx, which had only 62 mature individuals by 2001, CBS News reported. The species was threatened by human activity and habitat loss along with declines in its prey, European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). By 2005, the Iberian lynx habitat spanned just 449 square kilometers.
In response, conservationists worked to improve the species’ habitat, including restoring Mediterranean scrub and forest areas, minimizing deaths of the cats from human activities and boosting European rabbit populations in the lynx’s range. Conservationists worked with local communities to reduce lynx deaths from traffic collisions and poaching, CBS News reported.
According to IUCN, scientists also used breeding programs and translocations to improve genetic diversity within the species. More than 400 Iberian lynx have been reintroduced in Portugal and Spain as part of these efforts.
“There is still a lot of work to do to ensure that Iberian lynx populations survive and the species recovers throughout its indigenous range,” Ortiz said. “Looking ahead, there are plans to reintroduce the Iberian lynx to new sites in central and northern Spain.”
In 2022, there were 648 mature Iberian lynx. Today, IUCN estimated that there are more than 2,000 mature individuals, spanning a habitat range of around 3,320 square kilometers.
“The significant recovery of the Iberian lynx demonstrates that even the most threatened species can be brought back from the brink of extinction through committed, science-based conservation action and provides hope for those working to protect wildlife across the globe,” Sarah Durant, professor at the Zoological Society of London’s Institute of Zoology, said in a press release.
While IUCN has changed the status of the Iberian lynx from Endangered to Vulnerable, it also describes the species as Largely Depleted, which means the species will require ongoing conservation actions and protections.
In 2013, a study warned that the Iberian lynx could become extinct in the wild by the 2060s. Now, IUCN said that the species could fully recover in the next 100 years with continued actions toward conservation.
IUCN will publish a comprehensive Red List update for this year on June 27.
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