++ Event at the EU Parliament in Brussels draws attention to the Balkan lynx ++ Less than 50 individuals of this rare cat species roam the forests of the Western Balkans ++ Protection of the Balkan lynx as a benchmark for species conservation in the accession countries ++
They put the Balkan lynx on the agenda in Brussels: Viktor Berishaj, Senior Policy Officer at EuroNatur, Sebastian Everding, MEP for the Animal Protection Party, Thomas Waitz, MEP for the Greens, EuroNatur Executive Director Gabriel Schwaderer (from left to right).
© Sonia Leibold
Evidence of the very rare and shy Balkan lynx is mainly obtained through camera trap images; here is one from Kosovo.
© ERABrussels, Radolfzell. The Balkan lynx is a subspecies of the Eurasian lynx – and is threatened with extinction. Its last remaining habitats are in North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo; all states are currently in the process of joining the European Union.
On 24 September, an event took place in the European Parliament under the auspices of EuroNatur and at the invitation of two MEPs, Sebastian Everding and Thomas Waitz, at which various stakeholders from governmental and non-governmental organisations came together to discuss how the Balkan lynx can be saved from extinction. During the event, it was emphasised that environmental commitments must not be neglected in the EU enlargement process – rather, the protection of the Balkan lynx is an example of real progress in nature conservation in this region.
“The European Parliament has a very clear responsibility to act as a kind of watchdog and ensure that biodiversity is not neglected during the enlargement process,” said Sebastian Everding of the Animal Protection Party in the European Parliament. “The instruments for this are already in place. Our task as a parliament is to ensure that these frameworks do not remain mere words on paper but are implemented in practice.”
The event highlighted the importance of large-scale protected areas such as Mavrovo National Park in North Macedonia. “Protected areas are not the only, but an extremely important cornerstone of any effective strategy to protect the Balkan lynx,” emphasised EuroNatur Executive Director Gabriel Schwaderer. For several months, there have been repeated reports of violations such as uncontrolled logging in Mavrovo National Park.
Viktor Berishaj, Senior Policy Officer of EuroNatur and moderator of the event said: “The keywords echoed from everyone today was very effective cooperation between the stakeholders and the countries. The lynx are moving between the countries, so we need to very much leverage on what nature is trying to tell us and cooperate within the Western Balkans.”
“The survival of the Balkan lynx will be a yardstick for whether the EU's enlargement to include the Western Balkan states fulfils Europe's promises. It is a test of the credibility of us all,’ said MEP Thomas Waitz of the Greens at the end of the event.” "Let us use this symbol not only as a reminder of what we could lose, but as inspiration for what we can still protect if we act together.”
Background information:
• With fewer than 50 individuals remaining, the Balkan lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus) is one of the rarest cats in Europe. This endangered subspecies of the Eurasian lynx is found in the south-western Balkans and is threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, illegal killing and low population size. EuroNatur has been committed to protecting lynxes for twenty years as part of the international Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.
• The Western Balkans refers to the countries of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. They are currently in the process of joining the European Union. The Balkan lynx is currently found in North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.
Inquiries:
Christian Stielow, christian.stielow(at)euronatur.org, Tel.: +49 (0)7732 – 92 72 15