International Lynx Day has been celebrated since 2018, at the initiative of the Interreg CE 3Lynx project. Lynx in Europe are endangered and would struggle to survive without human help. To save the lynx in Dinaric Mountains and SE Alps we have brought 18 lynxes from the Carpathian Mountains to save the population from extinction and 14 of them successfully included into the population. LIFE LYNX’ GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS: ◉ The number...
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Successful translocation of Carpathian lynx and their integration in the remnant population in Dinaric Mountains and SE Alps was the core activity of the LIFE Lynx project. Understanding the baseline genetic and demographic status of the reintroduced Dinaric lynx population and close surveillance of the reinforcement process over the period of 4 years enabled us to assess the final effects of the reinforcement. At the population level...
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We bring you great news, after almost 3,5 years of coordination, Croatia has adopted a new lynx management plan. The expert background for the Croatian lynx management plan (with an action plan) was prepared back in 2019 as part of a broader project “Proposal of management plans for strictly protected species” (KK.06.5.2.01.0001), led by the Croatian Agency for Environment and Nature (today the Institute for Nature Protection)....
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In the scope of the LIFE Lynx project, we successfully translocated 18 Carpathian lynxes to Slovenia and Croatia, releasing 12 in the Dinaric Mountains and six in the Slovenian Alps. Our plan, guided by international best practices, focused on ensuring the survival and establishment of translocated animals. Monitoring with GPS-telemetry collars allowed us to assess their integration in the population. In the Dinaric Mountains, 9 out...
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During the LIFE Lynx project, we have learned a lot about the genetics and demography of the lynx. Data, obtained in scope of the project, were used to update the computer model of lynx population development, which helps us to take a look into the future of the population. We simulated the Dinaric and the SE Alpine stepping stone populations and investigated the role of its connectivity in reducing inbreeding. Even low gene flow is...
Read MoreThe main goal of the LIFE Lynx project was to genetically reinforce the lynx population in the Dinarides and to establish a new stepping stone lynx population in the Alps. We have prepared two reports, summarizing lynx reintroduction activities in Dinaric region and SE Alps. In the reports you can find out which lynx were introduced into the Alpine and Dinaric areas, their personal details, and the areas of release. The reports also...
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At the end of the LIFE Lynx project, we published a report summarizing the essence of the project – why and how we saved the lynx from extinction in the Dinaric Mountains and SE Alps. The report is primarily written for the general public and anyone who would like to learn about the key ideas and actions that have been implemented during the project. It shows the joint efforts of eleven project partners from five countries...
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Documentary film “Migration of cats from the Carpathians” was premiered on Tuesday April 16, 2024 in a movie theatre Forum in Zagreb. This event also marked the closure of LIFE Lynx project implementation in Croatia. Documentary film presents the efforts of Croatian team’s work in the scope of the LIFE Lynx project. It unveils a facet of the complex international collaboration required to rescue the endangered...
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The last LCG meeting in the project was organized in Gospić on 28th of March 2024, where we were welcomed by Public Institution Nature Park Velebit. They have been of huge help during all the field activities in the LIFELynx project and they are going to continue with camera trap based monitoring in the years to come. Other public institutions also took part in the meeting: Lika-Senj County, National Park Northern Velebit, National...
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Between 2019 and 2023, we intensively followed the process of integration of the translocated lynx into the Dinaric SE Alpine population. We were studying the impacts of these translocations on the Dinaric SE-Alpine lynx population by recording signs of lynx presence and lynx mortality, systematic camera-trapping and telemetry tracking and non-invasive genetic sampling. Besides the LIFE Lynx project staff, more than 200 hunters,...
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Understanding public perceptions helps wildlife management authorities and conservationists gauge the level of acceptance or opposition to the presence of lynx in specific regions. Within the LIFE Lynx project, we had the unique opportunity to study the attitudes of different stakeholder groups (general public, hunters, and livestock breeders) before, during, and after translocation of 18 animals from Romania and Slovakia to Slovenia...
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