Two enclosures for Iberian lynxes will be built in the Serra da Malcata Natural Reserve, which is in the municipalities of Penamacor and Sabugal in the north of Portugal. These enclosures will, in the future, accommodate lynxes when a planned reintroduction of the animals into these areas takes place.

This is one of the measures decided to “outline a path for the Iberian lynx to return to Serra da Malcata”, announced by the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF).

The ICNF announced that there was a meeting on 17th May with the presidents of Penamacor and Sabugal and the Regional Directorate of Nature Conservation and Forests of the Center and the ICNF Iberian lynx team, to join together their “efforts for the return of the Iberian lynx to Malcata”.

The plan foresees that the reintroduction of the species in the field will be complemented, in the medium term, “by the natural expansion of the species” from areas where they have been reintroduced and are expanding their range naturally, from Portugal’s Vale do Guadiana and from Spain’s Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Extremadura regions. Young lynxes travel from these areas each year to find new territories of their own.

The Malcata mountain range is one of the territories of “historical occurrence” of the species in Portugal and was included in the areas of potential reintroduction of the Iberian lynx, under the LIFE Iberlince project, but was not chosen as a site for the release of Iberian lynxes due to the scarcity of wild rabbits at the time. The abundance of wild rabbits is crucial for breeding success.

The ICNF states that, since then, the two municipalities, in partnership with other entities, have promoted initiatives to increase the presence of wild rabbits to meet not only the subsistence needs of the Iberian lynx, but also to make it possible for females to successfully establish themselves in this territory and, at the same time, guarantee the food sustainability of other relevant species, such as birds of prey.

“The return of the lynx to any territory where it existed in the past will always be a joint effort, in which ICNF, local authorities and other participants will contribute with measures and initiatives outlined in an integrated manner, so that the path of return runs smoothly and can lead to the re-establishment of an Iberian lynx population in the Malcata mountain range, also known as Terras do Lynx”, added ICNF.