One of the eight best projects executed in Europe. This is how the LIFE Nature project for the Conservation and Reintroduction of the Iberian Lynx in Andalusia has been distinguished by the European Union, recognizing the preservation work that has been carried out in Andalusia in relation to this endangered species.

The initiative, carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment, was launched between 2006 and 2011, with the participation of hunters’ associations (FAC, Ateca, Aproca), non-governmental organizations (EEA-Andalusia, CBD Foundation, Secem and WWF/Adena), owners and hunters’ societies.

Through this LIFE project, objectives have been achieved such as the reintroduction, for the first time, of Iberian lynx specimens in the areas of Guarrizas (Jaén) and Guadalmellato (Córdoba), thus allowing the population of this endangered species to be expanded; and the development of collaborative agreements with owners and hunting associations that allow these specimens to be preserved. Likewise, the awareness-raising actions, included in this LIFE project, have been aimed at raising social awareness of the value of the species in the Mediterranean ecosystem and information on the real situation in which it finds itself.

This recognition from the European Union is the second granted to an Andalusian LIFE project, and a third LIFE project has already been approved by the European Commission, called ‘Iberlince’, which will allow the initiative to continue, expanding the populations in Portugal, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia and Andalusia with the implementation of actions to reintroduce the Iberian lynx. with the ultimate goal of proposing to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) a reduction to a category of least threat according to international criteria.

For the time being, these initiatives have already made it possible to go from the 98 specimens registered in 2002 to the more than 300 that are counted today, with an increase in the area of presence of this species that already reaches 1000 square kilometers.