Iberian Lynx population on the rise in Portugal

Portugal's population of Iberian Lynx has risen to an estimated 300 individuals, having been almost non-existent 15 years ago.

The rare and localised big cat has bounced back across its range in recent years. Successful conservation measures are cited as the main reasons behind the comeback and resulted in the IUCN downgrading the feline's conservation status from Endangered to Vulnerable earlier this year.

These conservation actions have included the rewilding of historical lynx ranges, boosting populations of prey species (chiefly European Rabbit) and the creation of wildlife corridors and highway tunnels to reduce deaths from road collisions.

Conservation measures have helped Iberian Lynx to bounce back across its range (Frank Vassen).

Lynx bouncing back

This has gone hand-in-hand with reintroductions of captive-bred Iberian Lynx, with all these factors combining to help restore a population that was as low as 94 in 2002. At this time, all individuals were in Spain and the species was declared extinct in Portugal.

The Portuguese resurgence is thanks in no small part to the work carried out by the National Iberian Lynx Reproduction Centre at Silves in the Algarve.

Since opening in 2009, the centre has seen 170 Iberian Lynx born under its care, 110 of which have been released into the wild (17 of them in Portugal), marking a turning point for the species in the country.

Spreading out

The work of this reproduction centre in Portugal and others in Spain has led to a substantial growth of the Iberian Lynx population in Portugal, which was practically non-existent in 2009 and now is nearly 300 in number. 

The lynx in Portugal live virtually exclusively in Vale do Guadiana, a territory spanning the municipalities of Serpa and Mértola in the district of Beja, in the Alentejo, and Alcoutim in the district of Faro, in the Algarve.

In Vale do Guadiana, the lynx population has grown to 291 since the first captive-bred pair, Jacarandá and Katmandu, was released there in December 2014. By 2019, lynx began exploring further, crossing the Vascão stream to Alcoutim.

Breeding success

According to the 2023 Iberian census, the total Iberian Lynx population across the Iberian Peninsula has surpassed 2,000, doubling since 2020, with notable populations in the Spanish regions of Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalucía and Murcia. Animals are now reaching as far north as Madrid.

As well as the aforementioned conservation measures, a run of highly successful breeding years recently has helped to boost numbers.