The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is a medium-sized wild cat known for its specialized habitat dependency. Recognized as one of the world’s most threatened species, its survival is intrinsically linked to a particular type of landscape and the abundance of its primary food source. The lynx was historically pushed to the brink of extinction due to its highly specific ecological requirements.
Geographic Range and Preferred Ecosystem
The Iberian lynx is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. While its historical range was vast, today its distribution is restricted to several isolated pockets, primarily concentrated in the southern part of the peninsula.
These populations are mainly found in regions of Andalusia, such as Doñana National Park and the Sierra de Andújar in the Sierra Morena. New populations have been established through reintroduction efforts in Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, and the Alentejo region in Portugal. The lynx requires a low-altitude biome, generally thriving between 400 and 1,300 meters above sea level.
The preferred habitat is heterogeneous Mediterranean forest and scrubland, often referred to as matorral. This landscape is a mosaic of dense thickets, native oak forests (like cork oak and holm oak), and open patches of dry grassland. This mixture is crucial, as dense vegetation provides cover for shelter and raising young, while open areas are used for hunting.
Essential Habitat Requirements
The density of its main prey, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), determines a habitat’s viability. Rabbits constitute 80% to 90% of the lynx’s diet, making the lynx a trophic specialist. An adult requires about one rabbit per day, and a female raising cubs needs up to three. A high, stable rabbit population is necessary for successful breeding.
The physical structure must provide cover for the lynx and grazing areas for the rabbit. Dense scrub and thickets are used for stalking prey, resting, and establishing breeding dens, often found in small cavities, rock caves, or hollow trees. Home range size depends directly on prey availability, shrinking from 12–17 square kilometers in low-density areas to 5–10 square kilometers where rabbits are abundant.
Sufficient water sources are also required, important for the rabbit population during dry Mediterranean summers. The lynx is crepuscular and nocturnal, hunting on the edges of meadows and open grassland around dawn and dusk. Habitat quality is defined by the intersection of dense cover, plentiful rabbits, and nearby water.
Historical Decline and Habitat Fragmentation
The decline of the Iberian lynx population to fewer than 100 individuals by the early 2000s resulted directly from habitat loss and fragmentation. Historically, the lynx’s range covered much of the Iberian Peninsula, but between the 1960s and the 1990s, the species lost approximately 80% of its distribution area due to landscape changes.
Agricultural expansion was a major cause, converting native scrubland into monoculture plantations or intensive farmlands that cannot support dense rabbit populations. Native Mediterranean forest was also replaced by non-native, commercial tree species like eucalyptus and pine. These exotic plantations lack the structural complexity and undergrowth necessary for the lynx and its prey.
Infrastructure development, including new roads, dams, and railways, physically divided the remaining territories. This fragmentation created isolated habitat pockets, cutting off movement between populations. The resulting isolation reduced genetic flow, making small groups vulnerable to inbreeding, disease outbreaks, and local extinction. Road accidents remain a leading cause of non-natural lynx mortality.
Conservation Through Habitat Restoration
Modern conservation efforts focus on restoring the lynx’s habitat through active land management. This involves reversing historical damage by restoring native Mediterranean scrub and forest structure and removing invasive plant species.
A primary focus is the active management of the European rabbit population. Their decline due to diseases like myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease was a major cause of the lynx’s near-extinction. Conservationists bolster rabbit numbers through habitat improvements, disease control, and the creation of artificial warrens (protected breeding structures). The goal is to establish self-sustaining, high-density rabbit populations to increase the land’s carrying capacity for the lynx.
The establishment of ecological corridors is also crucial. These areas of suitable habitat connect previously isolated core populations, allowing for the safe dispersal of young lynx and promoting genetic exchange. By linking habitat patches, conservationists aim to create a larger, more resilient metapopulation that can sustain the species long-term.