The LIFE LYNXCONNECT team from the Region of Murcia, which is preparing the actions prior to the reintroduction of the Iberian lynx in Lorca, together with the Deputy Director General for Natural Heritage and Climate Change, visited the Guarrizas river area on Wednesday 20 July to see the characteristics of the soft-release fencing used there. The occasion was also used to visit the facilities of the breeding centre La Olivilla, in Santa Elena (Jaén). The Directorate General for the Natural Environment (Regional Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Environment and Emergencies) of the Region of Murcia is one of the 21 partners in the LIFE project “Creation of a genetically and demographically functional Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) metapopulation”, known as LYNXCONNECT and coordinated by the Ministry of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy of the Regional Government of Andalusia.

LYNXCONNECT is a transnational project between Spain and Portugal funded by the European Union for the development of joint actions for the conservation of the Iberian lynx. Its main objective is to connect all lynx core areas by creating new areas of presence in intermediate zones and to create new core areas so that the global Iberian lynx population behaves as a functional and self-sustainable metapopulation.