Lynx conservation project honoured

Capturing lynx in the Carpathians and releasing them into the wild in the northern Dinaric Mountains in order to stabilise the population there, which is on the brink of extinction, and link it to the lynx population in the Alpine region: That, in a nutshell, is the idea behind the LIFE Lynx project, which involved several nature conservation organisations, forestry institutions and hunting associations as well as universities. The project came to an end last year.

The awards were accepted by Gregor Danev, Director of the Slovenia Forest Service, and Rok Černe, coordinator of the LIFE Lynx project. Gregor Danev expressed pride that this prestigious European award has now been won by a second project led by the Slovenia Forest Service: “This award is a confirmation of the hard work and dedication of all project partners committed to preserving healthy forests, where lynxes are an indispensable part."

Rok Černe from the Slovenia Forest Service also emphasized at the ceremony that “the LIFE Lynx project would not have been possible without the historic efforts of hunters and foresters who reintroduced the lynx in 1973 after it had been extinct in the region. The conservation journey started then, and today’s award recognizes everyone who has contributed in any way to this important nature conservation success.”

The expert jury was particularly impressed by the Project’s active involvement of stakeholders, in preventing the lynx from another extinction. In almost seven years, the project translocated 18 lynxes to Slovenia and Croatia and recorded more than 50 offspring by the end of last year. In the Southeastern Alps, the introduced lynxes have established a connecting population, which is the first step towards the long-term conservation of lynxes in this part of Europe.