The abundant rainfall that affected Extremadura last week did not prevent the residents of Valdelacasa de Tajo (Cáceres) and Talarrubias (Badajoz) from taking part in the meetings that the LIFE LYNXCONNECT project promotes in areas where the Iberian lynx is present, or in areas that could be colonised by the species. For two days, hunters, managers and landowners, who also came from neighbouring localities, attended the LYNXCONNECT talk given by Fundación Artemisan, the partner in charge of dissemination actions for the hunting sector.

At these events, Artemisan technicians highlight the importance of hunters, managers and landowners in the recovery of an emblematic species in the Iberian Peninsula, given that 90% of lynxes live in hunting reserves and hunting estates. The talk, which lasts about two hours, provides information on this European project and explains the benefits of the presence of the Iberian lynx for small game species such as the wild rabbit and in terms of predator control. And at the end of each talk, there is a space for questions and debate.

Those present, both in Talarrubias and in Valdelacasa de Tajo, showed their interest in learning more about the behaviour of the Iberian lynx in their region in particular, as the habitat circumstances differ in part from those found in other communities. The Artemisan Foundation is therefore acting as an intermediary to bring together the reality of the field with the scientific efforts of the project.

The initiative is being repeated in all the geographical areas where there are breeding females, i.e. stable nuclei of the Iberian lynx population. Talks have already been held with hunting societies in Azuaga, Llerena, San Pedro de Mérida, Quintana de la Serena, Puebla de la Reina, Villanueva de la Serena and even at the Iberian Hunting, Fishing and Nature Fair in Extremadura. This will be extended to Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha and Murcia in the coming years.