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Page 1: Lynx reintroduction to scotland-2

Lynx reintroduCtion to scotland

Recommendations for the reintroduction of Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) back into Scotland.

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Introduction

Ecology and Habitat

Distribution

The Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) is a solitary mammal which was hunted to extinction in the UK

for its fur in 500-700 AD. It has a broad distribution in Southeastern and Central Europe and

from Northern and Eastern Europe through to the Boreal forests of Russia, down into

Central Asia and the Tibetan plateau (IUCN redlist, 2016). The status of this species is stable

however it varies within its different ranges. The Eurasian lynx is found in a wide range of

climatic zones from Temperate to Boreal forests from the far Atlantic in Western Europe to

the Pacific coast in the Russian Far East (IUCN redlist, 2016).

Habitat and Range

The lynx has a wide home range of 100km2 to over 1000km2, and male home ranges

encompass 1-2 females’ territories, depending on the terrain and climate conditions

(Hetherington et al., 2008). The minimum viable population of Lynx needed to survive in a

new environment is 50-100 (Hetherington et al., 2008) meaning the minimum dynamic area

(the total area that is required for reproduction, the amount of resources required and the

Figure 1: Map of Scotland showing the typography of the area (Hetherington et al., 2008)

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dispersion of the species) is 5000km2 to 100,000km2 with small habitat patches that are close

in connectivity, up to 1.2km, to ensure gene flow.

Lynx are being considered for reintroduction in Scotland because of Scotland’s unique

typography (fig. 1) large coniferous forests, and lack of infra-structure (Hetherington et al.,

2008). Lynx can survive in all types of woodland, coniferous, broadleaved and mixed leaved.

Increased reforestation in the Scottish highlands has increased the population of woodland

deer which are suitable prey for lynx populations. Their breeding season is confined to

February to March and they feed on small ungulates such as roe deer and small hares

(WWF, 2016).

Threats and Conservation

Lynx are threatened by illegal hunting for fur, habitat loss and fragmentation due to creation

of roads and infrastructure, conflicts with hunters due to mortality of livestock, poor

management and poaching. The Eurasian lynx is listed on the Appendix II of CITES,

prohibiting the international trade in the species without a license (Arkive.org, 2016).

Methods

Lynx reintroduction requires habitat evaluation to assess its viability. Candidate networks

(fig.2) for the reintroduction of Lynx to protected areas have been based on data sets

supplied by Scottish National Heritage, protected areas being the best places for any

reintroduction as they are less likely to have the cause of the original extinction, and a

degraded landscape. Satellite images were looked at to allow a greater understanding of the

habitats in candidate areas.

Data, such as that on main roads to the Scottish boundary, was clipped to give a more

specific view of potential sites as well as showing buffer zones that are needed because of

the presence of roads.

A greater understanding of potential sites was achieved by making sure they are as

connected as possible, merging the small areas together creating a larger protected area

and making sure the correct habitats are within each site.

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By overlapping layers of data on factors that influence successful reintroduction with

candidate network sites for the release, it was possible to assess which sites were the most

suitable for reintroduction.

Discussion

Protected areas

The networks that are big enough to hold at

least one pair of Lynx (fig.2) are near to

protected areas such as SSSIs and National

Parks. Having areas that are already

managed and protected is beneficial

because the current management is already

in place within these specific areas.

Roads and settlements

Roads are a barrier for the movement of

Lynx especially motorways and dual

carriageways because they have a disruptive

effect on the movement of species across

landscapes (Hetherington et al., 2008). It is

therefore important to consider this when

looking at these potential habitat areas. The

main motorways shown in blue (fig. 3) are

clustered in the Central Lowlands between

Glasgow and Edinburgh and dissect the

Southern Uplands. The settlements within

the likely areas need to be considered. Lynx

can be introduced close to smaller

settlements as research from Lynx

introduction in Europe shows that Lynx do

Figure 3: Candidate networks showing the main

motorways in blue. Produced by author, 2016

Figure 2: Candidate networks showing the protected areas

in light blue. Authors own 2016.

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not visit small settlements (Hetherington et al., 2008). Therefore it would be preferable to

have a reintroduction site north of the Central Lowlands.

Sheep densities

Human-wildlife conflict between Lynx and farmers needs to be minimised if Lynx

reintroduction is to be successful. Sheep farming is an important part of the economy in

Scotland. The areas with the highest densities of sheep are in southern Scotland, closer to

the more established settlements (fig 5). These areas have already been shown to be less

suitable for the potential reintroduction of Lynx because they are close to motorways and

dual carriageways. However, the largest candidate area, Inverness, has a small density of

sheep, 0.1- <1 (fig. 4 and fig.5) and therefore a favorable site for reintroduction of Lynx in

this respect.

Figure 5: Sheep densities in Scotland

(Hetherington et al., 2008)

Figure 4: Candidate networks overlaid by

geo-referenced sheep densities. Authors

own 2016.

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Conclusion

After consideration of size of woodland cover, major road networks, sheep densities,

protected areas, urban areas / settlements and finally the expected population of Lynx, a

clearer picture of the best habitat area can be decided (fig. 7). The largest and most efficient

site for the reintroduction is the Inverness site at a size of 5248.317km2. This site has an

expected population of Lynx of 29 and a woodland cover of 2365.632km2.

Name of site Size(km2) Woodland cover

(km2)

Expected lynx

population

Inverness site 5248.317 2365.632 29

Greenock site 2073.97 1012.132 12

Blairmount Park 2115.538 1148.962 14

Burnett Park site 1187.709 442.3057 5

Farragon Hill site 741.2843 311.0967 3

Loch Lomond national park 782.3322 465.2593 5

Clachan site 570.2783 308.7626 3

The Inverness site has a low density of sheep, which will reduce human-wildlife conflicts and

has sparse settlements. Larger motorways are non-existent in this part of the highlands

allowing the free movement of Lynx through the area. This site has the highest estimated

number of Lynx that could be reintroduced at 15-29 pairs.

Figure 6: Candidate sites for the reintroduction of Lynx. Authors own, 2016

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Figure 7: Candidate networks for Lynx reintroduction showing the best habitat areas

and protected areas. Authors own,2016

Clachan site

Loch Lomond National Park

Farragon Hill site

Burnett Park site

Blairmount

park site

Greenock site

Inverness site

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References:

Arkive.org (2016) Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx. Available from: http://www.arkive.org/eurasian-

lynx/lynx-lynx/ [Accessed 15 March 2016].

Hetherington, D.A., Miller, D.R., Macleod, C.D. & Gorman, M.L. (2008) A potential habitat

network for the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx in Scotland. Mammal Review. 38 (4), pp. 285–

303.

IUCN redlist (2016) Lynx lynx (Eurasian Lynx). Available from:

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12519/0 [Accessed 13 March 2016].

WWF (2016) Eurasian lynx | WWF. Available from:

http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/species/profiles/mammals/eurasian_lynx/

[Accessed 13 March 2016].


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