The partners of the European Life LYNXCONNECT Project, among which are the Autonomous Organism of National Parks, the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, ICNF of Portugal, the Autonomous Governments of Andalusia, Castilla La Mancha, Murcia and Extremadura, Infraestruturas de Portugal S.A., CIMBAL, as well as companies (Fomecam TERRA and FOTEX), associations and non-governmental organisations (WWF Spain, CBD-Habitat Foundation and ADENEX), coordinated by the Andalusian Regional Government, make up the Project Monitoring Commission.

This Monitoring Commission met in Seville last Monday, 2nd October, to analyse the state of execution of the project and to share the evolution of the actions, as well as the state of the new reintroduction areas: Altos de Lorca in Murcia and Sierra Arana in Granada and the selection of the “stepping stones”. https://lifelynxconnect.eu/acciones/. Technicians from the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure and Environment (CINEA), which manages the EU LIFE Programmes, were present.

The Commission also discussed the LYNXCONNET Manuals, already published, and presented two new ones: “Protocol for the prevention of Iberian lynx mortality in non-road infrastructures” and “Methodology for non-invasive genetic monitoring of the Iberian lynx”, which can be consulted at: https://lifelynxconnect.eu/protocolos/.

The social support of local councils, landowners, managers, hunters, game reserves and the general public has been fundamental in achieving results that suggest that the Iberian lynx is returning to its historic range. During the field visit on Tuesday 3, during which habitat improvement actions were visited, this was made clear at the meeting held in the town hall of Piñar (Granada), which was attended by Carlos Romero López, Mayor of Iznalloz and Eloy Gracia Cuenca, Mayor of Piñar, as well as the Project Coordinator Javier Salcedo and representatives of CINEA.

The visit ended with an event in the “Plaza de la Biodiversidad” in Piñar, with the Iberian lynx as the protagonist.