Date: 16 July 2025 from 11:30 – 13:00.

Venue: European Committee of the Regions, at VMA 21, Rue Van Maerlant 2 in Brussels.

 

Justification: The conservation of the Iberian lynx has been a priority for a multitude of actors, most notably the Junta de Andalucía. The Iberian lynx has gone from a population of 94 specimens in 2002 to a current population of more than 2401 specimens. This remarkable progress has allowed the IUCN to reclassify its conservation status on the Red List from “Endangered" to “Vulnerable", which reflects a significant improvement in its situation and a reduced threat to its survival. The success of this recovery is the result of the collaboration between multiple public and private actors, as well as the strong support of European institutions, mainly channelled through the LIFE programme. For this reason, this event is being held within the European institutions to disseminate the success stories of the European Commission's programmes in the field of Biodiversity.

11:00 – 11:30: Reception of guests.

 

11:30 – 11:40: Institutional opening by a member of the European Committee of the Regions.

 

11:40 – 11:50: Opening by the Councillor for Sustainability and Environment of the Junta de

Andalucía, Ms Catalina Montserrat García Carrasco.

 

11:50 – 12:00: Screening of the short documentary ‘The recovery of the Iberian Lynx in the Iberian Peninsula:

20 years of LIFE projects’ (3 min.) and presentation of the LIFE LynxConnect Project by the Project Coordinator, Mr Francisco Javier Salcedo Ortiz.

 

12:00 – 12:40: Round Table with institutional representatives of the Regional Governments participating in the LIFE project: Andalusia, Murcia, Castilla -La Mancha, Extremadura and Portugal.

 

12:40 – 12:50: Presentation of the International Conference “Shared vision, coordinated action: lynx conservation in the Iberian Peninsula (Final Event of the LIFE LynxConnect Project), by the Vice-Minister of Sustainability and Environment of the Junta de Andalucía, Mr. Sergio Arjona Jiménez.

 

12:50 -13:00: Conclusions and closure by the Delegate of the Andalusian Regional Government in Brussels, Ms. Catalina de Miguel.