Last Friday 26th May, in Beja, Portugal, the Iberian Lynx Conservation Awards were presented annually during the five years of the LIFE LYNXCONNECT Project.

The five recipients of these awards have been proposed by the project partners and are individuals, groups, institutions and organisations whose contribution to the preservation and conservation of the Iberian lynx has been outstanding.

In the case of Portugal, the organisation that owns the ‘Herdades da Lobata e da Amendoeira’, located in the parish of Santa Maria, municipality of Serpa, represented in this act by João Maria Cano, was distinguished for the favourable, collaborative and disinterested attitude shown by the respective partners, in relation to the presence of specimens of Iberian lynx on this farm, at least since 2016; as well as the cooperative attitude in relation to the need for frequent access to it by ICNF technicians and Nature Guards of the DRCNF-Alentejo, to carry out the operations inherent to the monitoring and tracking of the lynx established there in a natural way.

The Junta de Andalucía has awarded this Friday the LIFE LYNXCONNECT prize to the ‘Finca Arenillas’, in the municipality of Villanueva del Rio y Minas (Seville) for the favourable attitude of the owners regarding the presence of Iberian lynx specimens in this farm; as well as the collaboration with the technicians and the monitoring team of the LIFE LYNXCONNECT Project to carry out the operations inherent to the surveillance and monitoring of the Iberian lynx established there.

The Region of Murcia distinguishes with this award ‘To the Society of the Region of Murcia’, for the general support shown for the LIFE LYNXCONNECT project and, in particular, for the reintroduction of the lynx in the Region of Murcia, as expressed through the surveys carried out, opinions expressed in the press and social networks; as well as for the general warmth and feeling that has been spontaneously transmitted by social groups of the most diverse nature and private citizens.

For its part, Extremadura awards ‘Acción por el Mundo Salvaje (AMUS)’, for its work in the conservation of species and natural habitats and, in particular, for its favourable, collaborative and selfless attitude towards the LIFE LYNXCONNECT Project.

Likewise, the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla- La Mancha recognised the ‘Cuerpo de Agentes Medioambientales’, for their commendable work in the conservation of the Iberian Lynx and their collaboration and unconditional support to the LIFE LYNXCONNECT Project.

In the first LIFE projects, a formula for participation in the conservation of the Iberian lynx and its habitat was established involving local stakeholders (owners and managers of estates, hunters, stockbreeders and farmers in the areas where the Iberian lynx lives).

This direct collaboration of all the agents involved, especially with the owners and managers of the land where the Iberian lynx lives, has been one of the cornerstones on which all the achievements have been built, such as the revision of the threat category, the increase in the population or the recovery of historical areas.

Lessons learned from previous LIFE projects have shown that it is necessary to recognise and reward this type of cooperative relationship and involvement with the project. As well as being an important stimulus for all those involved in the conservation of the species, receiving this recognition maintains and increases both the confidence and credibility of the project.