“European Lynx Rebounds from Brink of Extinction”, In a remarkable conservation success story, the Iberian lynx, found in remote regions of Spain and Portugal, has made a significant recovery from near extinction. Since the early 2000s, the adult population of this species has increased more than tenfold, thanks to intensive conservation efforts and habitat restoration initiatives.
The rebound underscores the importance of targeted conservation strategies and international cooperation in preserving endangered species and their ecosystems.
Wildlife experts are heralding the recovery of the Iberian Lynx as unparalleled among felines amidst an extinction crisis driven by climate change, pollution, and habitat loss. This success highlights the critical importance of conservation efforts in safeguarding endangered species against unprecedented threats to biodiversity worldwide.
On Thursday, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) upgraded the status of the Iberian Lynx from “endangered” to “vulnerable” in its Red List, marking a significant milestone in the species’ recovery efforts. This positive development reflects substantial conservation achievements and provides hope for the future of this once critically endangered feline species.
While the Iberian Lynx shares the yellow eyes and short black stumpy tail with other lynx species, it is much smaller than them and has a distinctive black “beard” of long hair around its chin.
There were just 62 adults scattered across Mediterranean forests in 2001 but the population jumped to around 648 in 2022, IUCN said. Today, the population has risen to more than 2,000, counting both young and adult lynxes across a range of thousands of kilometers covering rocky mountainous areas and valleys.
