Conservation efforts have led to a comeback of the endangered wild cat species, the Iberian lynx. According to the latest census data, there were a total of 14 clusters where the animals were stable and reproducing, with 13 located in Spain and one in Portugal. The wild cat population across the Iberian Peninsula had drastically declined from the 1960s due to habitat loss, poaching, and road accidents. However, thanks to conservation efforts focused on increasing the abundance of its main food source, the endangered wild rabbit, the lynx population is making a comeback.
Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz, a coordinator leading the conservation action, described it as the “greatest recovery of a cat species ever achieved through conservation.” Despite this positive development, he emphasized that there is still much work to be done to ensure the survival and recovery of the species. Plans are in place to reintroduce the Iberian lynx to new sites in central and northern Spain to further expand
