The Iberian lynx Lynx pardinus is one of the most emblematic species of the Iberian Peninsula and, in turn, the most endangered feline on the planet. It has an unmistakable robust appearance, with long legs and a short tail with a black tassel at the end that it usually keeps upright by beating it in times of danger. Its ears are topped by characteristic brushes composed of stiff black hairs and its hair has a coloration that varies from brown to grayish.

Currently, thanks to conservation and reintroduction programs, just over 400 specimens live in the wild in the Mediterranean forests of Portugal, Extremadura, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia. Lynxes choose these habitats because they need to live surrounded by abundant scrub and in areas with abundant prey. It is considered an agile hunter, especially rabbits, which account for 80% of its diet. It also feeds on partridges and other small mammals or birds.

The serious decline of the species has historically been caused by hunting with non-selective methods, such as traps and snares, but especially by the decline of its main prey species, the wild rabbit, affected by two viral diseases: myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease, which caused a drastic decline of more than 80% of its populations. Likewise, human infrastructures, in addition to generating important direct impacts, such as road accidents, have caused populations to be separated until they are totally isolated, making it almost impossible for specimens from different places to relate and reproduce with each other. Another threat in recent years, diseases, is also gaining relevance in its disappearance, since it is a species with a great health risk and any infectious outbreak can lead to the extinction of a local population. Added to this is the low genetic variability of the lynx which, among other negative effects, is associated with a loss of immune system response.

To help preserve this symbolic species of the Iberian Peninsula, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, together with the Friends of the Imperial Eagle and the Iberian Lynx Foundation, has launched the project “Stewardship on private farms: joining efforts in conservation”, an initiative that has made it possible to show good conservation practices to farm managers in natural areas of great biodiversity. This project complements the great effort that is being made by many entities and institutions within the framework of the LIFE Iberlince project.