Why is the iberian lynx important

In recent history, the animal was considered both a prize catch for hunters, who would sell the skins, as well as vermin that caused a threat to farmers and as such was regularly hunted. Although today hunting the animal is illegal, there have been reports of illegal poaching as well as accidental deaths caused by traps laid for rabbits and other animals. The reclassification followed the success of conservation efforts and reintroductions into the wild.

While at the turn of the millennium the animal seemed doomed to fate, the ongoing efforts to preserve the species have seen numbers boosted above the benchmark which marks the passage from critically endangered to endangered. We and our partners use cookies to better understand your needs, improve performance and provide you with personalised content and advertisements. To allow us to provide a better and more tailored experience please click "OK".

Sign Up. Travel Guides. Videos Beyond Hollywood Hungerlust Pioneers of love. Tara Jessop. It used to be considered a sub-species of the European lynx before being recognized as its own distinct species. It is believed that if the Iberian lynx were to become extinct, it would be the first feline species to die out since the prehistoric era. Campaigners now hope to bring it back to the UK, saying it will preserve forests by preying on deer, which graze on saplings.

Lynx will change the whole dynamics of these deer herds, which will reduce forest damage and promote regeneration. The Lynx UK Trust is about to finish a national stakeholder consultation, and in mid they plan to apply to Scottish Natural Heritage and Natural England for licences. A paper he published this week urges caution with rewilding projects. Would they be able to adapt fast to this new potentially threatening predator? Read more: Rewilding: Bring in the big beasts to fix ecosystems ; Where the wild things are: Big beasts return to Europe.

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Toggle navigation. Language English. Traditional irrigation by flooding the fields in Orihuela, Murcia, Spain. Once regarded both as an attractive hunting trophy and as a vermin.

The Iberian lynx has been brought to the brink of extinction because of a combination of threats that include the radical decrease of rabbits, the lynx's principal prey; a serious reduction in habitat; being caught in snares set for rabbits; accidental deaths caused by speeding vehicles on the expanding road network, and illegal hunting.

Decreasing food base Rabbits form the main prey of the Iberian lynx.