Paleontological remains indicate that one and a half million years ago, the Iberian lynx roamed throughout the Iberian Peninsula. However, little by little its territory was reduced to a handful of scattered areas in Extremadura, southern Portugal and Andalusia. The Lynx pardinus is an endemic species that typically inhabits the Mediterranean forest environment and is one of the world’s four lynx species, along with the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), found in northern Europe and much of Asia; the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), found in North America; and the bobcat or red lynx (Lynx rufus), found in southern Canada, the USA and northern Mexico. 

They are all classified as ‘Least Concern’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with the exception of the Iberian lynx, which suffered a drastic fall in numbers from the 1960s onwards and especially during the 1980s and 1990s. Moreover, the sparse historical records indicate that the population was not particularly large to begin with. This was the conclusion reached by the first experts who called attention to the species’ plight, as a result of which it was declared “Critically Endangered” in 1986. By the turn of the 21st century there were less than 100 individuals and the species was considered all but disappeared. 

However, the Spanish central government and regional administrations, along with the Portuguese government and various public and private organisations, institutions and NGOs, were able to join forces and respond. 1999 saw the approval of the National Strategy for the Iberian Lynx, based on the creation of ex situ captive breeding centres to produce animals that could subsequently be released into the wild. The first such centre, El Acebuche, was opened in 1992 in Doñana National Park. At present there are five of these centres: three in Andalusia (El Acebuche, La Olivilla in Jaén and the Zoobotánico in Jerez de la Frontera), one in Extremadura (Zarza de Granadilla, in Cáceres) and another in Portugal (Centro de Silves). 

At the same time, action was taken to protect and restore the Mediterranean forest environment and rabbit populations. This latter species, which is currently the focus of another recovery programme (LIFE Iberconejo), is a vital food source not only for lynx but also for around 40 other species, including the Spanish imperial eagle (also threatened).

In addition to the organisational difficulties, there were also scientific challenges arising from the conservation of such a small –and therefore genetically limited– population. The European LIFE programme provided over half of the funding for successive projects which, two decades later, achieved a miracle. 

The ex situ programme has led to the formation of 12 lynx populations in the Spanish autonomous communities of Andalusia, Castilla La Mancha and Extremadura, plus another two in Portugal. In 2020, the symbolic figure of 1,000 individuals was exceeded following a record number of births, while the latest data in May 2021 revealed a population of over 1,100 animals. 

The next target is outlined in the LynxConnect project, which has been approved by the European Commission and will run until 2024. The aim is to link up these population centres safely while combating poaching, illegal hunting and the risk of vehicular injury, which has caused the death of at least 150 of these precious animals since 2002. Facilitating the natural mobility of lynxes will make it possible to unify the population and increase genetic diversity, which is key to saving the species. In 2019, the experts in the Lynx Working Group calculated that this will only be possible (and even then, the species would remain vulnerable) if by 2040 the current population has tripled to between 3,000 and 3,500 individuals, of which around 750 must be breeding females.

Hope for Iberian wildlife

Over the last 25 years, Spain –which is home to more than 85,000 species of animals, plants and fungi– has managed to save its so-called “big five” endemic species from extinction (although they remain vulnerable): the Iberian lynx, brown bear, imperial eagle, bearded vulture and Iberian wolf. 

• The example of the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is similar to that of the lynx: 25 years ago there were just 30 breeding pairs of this enormous carrion-feeder, whose wingspan can exceed three metres. Today, it has a population in excess of 1,000 and can be found in the southern Pyrenees, the Sierra de Moncayo in Aragón and the Sierra de Cazorla in Jaén (Andalusia), which is home to at least five pairs. It has also been reintroduced to the Picos de Europa, and there are plans to bring the species back to the Sierra de Gredos (Ávila) in 2022. 

Bearded vulture. / PHOTO_F. QUEBRANTAHUESOS

• The Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti) is considered one of the world’s most threatened birds of prey. By the late 1970s there were fewer than 50 breeding pairs left; however, that figure has since grown to more than 600. 

Spanish imperial eagle. / PHOTO_CAM

• Another success story is the Cantabrian brown bear (Ursus arctos pyrenaicus). Two decades ago there were barely 50 individuals left in the wild; now there are 330, mostly found in western Asturias, with another 30 in northern León, Palencia and southern Cantabria and a number of others in the Pyrenees of Huesca and Catalonia.

Cantabrian brown bear. / PHOTO_NEUSITAS (WIKIPEDIA)

• With regard to the Iberian wolf (Canis lupus signatus), there are estimated to be around 300 packs, together accounting for 2,000-2,500 individuals. Practically extinct in southern Spain, 95% of its population is concentrated in Asturias, Cantabria, Galicia and Castilla y León, where numbers have recovered since the 1990s. The species is now expanding north of the River Duero. As its territories are shared with human activities such as livestock farming, the wolf’s conservation is controversial and requires not only protective measures (in early 2021 the government added it to the List of Wild Species Subject to Special Protection, effectively imposing a hunting ban) but also support for the activities affected: in 2020 alone, for example, around 2,600 farm animals were lost through attacks by wolves. Conservation organisations such as the WWF campaign for coexistence and recommend compensatory and preventive measures, such as rapid payments for farmers in the event of attacks, the use of electrified fences and mastiff dogs, the reintroduction of shepherds and the promotion of extensive livestock farming, among others.

Iberian wolf. / PHOTO_SUSO MARTÍN (CENTRO DEL LOBO IBÉRICO)

portrait of a natural treasure

Iberian lynx. / PHOTO_FRANK VASSEN (FLICKR)

The Iberian lynx is the smallest of the four lynx species, with an average weight of around 14 kilos. It is a solitary animal that is usually active at dusk and is characterised by its tufted ears and ruff, along with its spotted coat, whose patterns are unique to each individual. From an ecological perspective, its role as an apex predator at the top of the food chain also makes it an “umbrella species”, as it controls the numbers of smaller predator species and reduces the pressure on the main prey species, the European rabbit, which is also the main food source for other species such as the Spanish imperial eagle. The Iberian lynx has gone from being a virtually unknown species to a national symbol of conservation, a magnet for nature tourism, and an international success story that has been hailed by the IUCN and awoken interest in conservation programmes for other threatened feline species, such as the snow leopard (India, Mongolia) and the Florida panther (USA).

The construction of a mining railway in Burgos at the end of the 19th century soon proved to be an economic failure, but the works led to the discovery of what are now considered some of Europe’s most important archaeological sites: the Sierra de Atapuerca sites (03). A significant part of the old railway trenches have since 2004 been used as a ‘greenway’: a nature path that is signalled, equipped, closed to motorised traffic and conditioned for use by walkers and cyclists. Its 54 kilometres are part of a network of nature paths which, under the registered trademark ‘Vías Verdes’, currently includes 117 routes around all of Spain and more than 2,400 kilometres of track; another 200 are to be added to this by the end of 2016. Each and every one of these routes is built on old, disused railway lines, which in practice means that their layout and gradients make them suitable for all kinds of users, including children, elderly people and people with reduced mobility. When the programme was launched 23 years ago, Spain had 7,600 kilometres of track that was out of service, a third of which has now been recuperated for this new use.

FROM NORTH TO SOUTH

Following the different greenways, visitors are able to enjoy the country’s great variety of natural landscapes and settings both inland and on the coast. For example, the Pas routes in Cantabria, or the Basque and Navarran routes of Bidasoa, Plazaola, or the Basque–Navarre railway (01) (86.2 km) cut across some of the most emblematic landscapes in northern Spain, with lush Atlantic beech and oak forests.

The Piquillo greenway and its continuation through Paseo Itsaslur, between Ontón in Cantabria and Muskiz in Biscay, is a unique route totalling just over 4 kilometres, which follows cliffs (there are plenty of fences) offering spectacular views of the coast. On the Mediterranean coast, there are routes from Catalonia (the Girona greenway network, totalling 125 kilometres) to Levante, such as the Ojos Negros paths (02) running between Castellón and Valencia, an old, 160-kilometre mining route; or the Noroeste greenway in Murcia (76 km). Even the island of Mallorca has a greenway, the Manacor-Artá route (29 km), which is connected by a cycle path to the Cala Millor beach.

CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE

Andalusia has one of Spain’s longest greenways, the 128-kilometre Aceite route, which crosses Córdoba and Jaén through a landscape of olive groves. Inland, paths which are noteworthy for their length (at around 50 kilometres) are the greenways of Alcaraz in Albacete, La Jara in Toledo, Tajuña in Madrid and Eresma in Segovia. The latter also offers the attractive bonus of a visit to the monumental combination of the city of Segovia and its Roman aqueduct, a World Heritage site. However, this is not the only greenway that is close to a city of tourist interest: the 2.75-kilometre Itálica route allows a visit to Sevilla; the Santander–Mediterráneo railway route (14 km) approaches Burgos and its cathedral, a jewel of Spanish gothic architecture; the Oliver–Valdefierro
Corridor route (2.6 km) passes the city of Zaragoza; and in Catalonia, the Carrilet route reaches its terminus in the old town of Girona.

Those who prefer to submerge themselves in history can visit medieval castles like the Valencia de Don Juan in León (Esla greenway, 11 km), the Bélmez castle in Córdoba (La Maquinilla greenway, 8 km) or the Biar castle (04) in Alicante (Xixarra greenway). On the Eo greenway (12 km), which runs between Asturias and Galicia, visitors can find prehistoric forts and dolmens; and on Huelva’s Molinos de Agua route (33.2 km), there are mines and the remains of Roman roads and megalithic monuments like the Dolmen de Soto. On the Pas greenway, it is worth highlighting the prehistoric caves of Puente Viesgo; and in the town of Baza in Granada, on the Baza greenway, there is a group of historical monuments and an archaeological museum with Iberian remains.

LIVING TREASURES

The Iberian fauna is another natural treasure put in users’ reach by the greenways. Vultures can be observed from the Préjano greenway in La Rioja and the Sierra greenway in Cádiz, for example. On the La Jara greenway (06) is Spain’s oldest recuperation centre for birds of prey; and the Casa del Oso (‘House of the Bear’, 05) (Senda del Oso greenway) located in Proaza, Asturias, is dedicated to the conservation of the Cantabrian brown bear.