A few years ago we had the surprise that an Iberian lynx released at the other side of the Iberian Peninsula was able to cross it and come to roam in the Baix Llobregat region, among large infrastructures, but well fed by the abundance of rabbits that were in the area. Obviously, this spontaneous colonization was an isolated case and to a certain extent anecdotal since it would never have generated a stable nucleus.
But in the current situation of that species, which in recent years has notably increased its numbers in the wild, and in many areas of the peninsula where the habitat and abundance of its preferred prey can be considered adequate to maintain stable and sufficiently large populations, we can’t avoid to consider new projects for the release of individuals born in the various captive breeding centers for this purpose. And among them, why not in Catalonia, now that our rabbit populations have greatly increased in certain areas of the Lleida plain?
To answer this question, Nuria El Khadir, from the CBD Hábitat foundation, will explain in her lecture the results of the preliminary studies to delimit the areas that could hold a future reintroduction that they have done with the collaboration of the CREW Foundation, the Barcelona Zoo and the technicians of the Generalitat de Catalunya. These studies have been carried out within the framework of the PreLynxCatAr project, also promoted by the Fundación Biodiversidad of the ministry for the ecological transition and which have also included areas of Aragon.
We will also have the chance to hear Nuria again and all the protagonists of these preliminary studies, as well as some voices from the affected territory in a talk at the Ágora that will surely allow us to solve more unknowns about what the whole process could be like to have this magnificent animal again as part of our fauna.
