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The spectacular recovery of the Iberian lynx in recent years thanks to the growth in its population in its habitats on mainland Spain, does not, for the moment, ensure its future viability, despite it being taken off the list of species in critical danger of extinction.
This is highlighted by a study carried out by the Doñana EBD-CSIC biological station which shows that the lynx population is still not completely out of danger and that more than a thousand breeding females would be needed to guarantee the genetic viability of the species as well as increasing connectivity between the places they inhabit.
The study emphasises the challenge posed by the genetic factor alongside the numerous other threats that the Iberian lynx faces, including being run over, the decline of rabbits, habitat fragmentation and climate change.
Thanks to its reintroduction and conservation programme, the Iberian lynx population has shown a positive trend in the last decade with around 1,660 individuals in the wild compared to fewer than 100 in 2002. At that critical time there were only two very isolated sub-populations of lynx living only in Doñana and the Sierra de Andújar in Jaen.
EBD-CSIC researcher José Antonio Godoy, author of the study, points out that "the recovery of a species depends not only on the absolute numbers of its population, but also on a minimum genetic variability to guarantee its survival".
The study highlights that the long-term genetic viability of the Iberian lynx would require at least a 50 to 200 per cent increase in the size of sub-populations, which would raise the recommended number of breeding females to 1,100.
In addition to the need to increase the number of females, another condition would be the creation of new population nuclei, in particular, up to eight new sub-populations would be needed.
There are currently five and within the Life Lynxconnect project, work is being carried out on new reintroductions in the Sierra Arana in Granada and also in Lorca in Murcia, although the study does not consider this to be sufficient.
The study acknowledges the difficulty of achieving these objectives in the medium term due to the enormous cost of creating new sub-populations and the scarcity of suitable areas with sufficient density of rabbits, the main prey of the lynx.
Despite this, the Iberian lynx is currently expanding into some habitats that were not originally considered optimal for the species, so new possibilities for study may be opening up.
The study concluded by highlighting the need to encourage the migration of these animals by creating corridors to connect subpopulations and favour genetic exchange, at least between eight and 15 individuals per generation, bearing in mind that they are capable of travelling hundreds of kilometres.
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