The Minister of the Environment, Cristina Narbona, has sent a letter to the Minister of the Environment of the Community of Madrid, Mariano Zabia, in which she requests the precautionary stoppage of the works on the M-501 road, given the confirmation of the presence of the Iberian lynx in the area.

In the letter, the minister points out that “the confirmation of the presence of the Iberian lynx in the Special Protection Area affected by the widening of the ‘swamp road’, reaffirms me in the assessment that I have already had the opportunity to convey to you, regarding the construction of this infrastructure, which was the subject of a negative Environmental Impact Statement at the time”. Narbona recalls that “from the Ministry of the Environment we are making the maximum effort for the protection and recovery of this emblematic species at very serious risk of extinction, and therefore I believe that we must address, jointly, the analysis of this new situation, which may lead to a reorientation of the National Strategy for the Conservation of the Lynx”.

In August 2005, the Minister of the Environment already conveyed to the Minister her concern about the decision of the Government of the Community of Madrid to execute this project, despite the existence of a negative Environmental Impact Statement, as well as the CSIC report that warns of the ecological values that will result in a breach of Community regulations on environmental assessment.