Map updated in 2017) Life Iberlince project teams have added 'Litio', the Iberian lynx specimen located in Catalonia on May 29th, to the list of traveling lynxes that traversed long distances across the Peninsula, demonstrating, in some cases like that o

Yesterday, on World Environment Day, the Life Iberlince project hosted the 2018 Iberian Lynx Conservation Awards at the Roman Theatre in Mérida, in an emotional ceremony in which the winners were accompanied by family and friends, as well as a large part of the Iberlince team. Each year, these awards acknowledge collectives, institutions and people whose contribution to the preservation and conservation of the Iberian lynx was deemed remarkable.

The Minister of Natural and Rural Environments, Territory and Agrarian Policies of the Regional Government of Extremadura, Begoña García Bernal, who chaired the event, stressed the importance of institutional and citizen involvement in the Iberian lynx conservation, at the same time calling for European unity because the future, he added, depends on collaboration.

This year’s winners (proposed by Life+Iberlince project partners) were: the Almuradiel City Council (Ciudad Real); the residents of Andújar (Jaén); the Peñalajo Estate (also in Ciudad Real); Diego García Márquez, the Aznalcázar preserve gamekeeper; the Portuguese NGO Wilder; the workers at Finca Los Quintos de San Martín (Badajoz); and the Gloria Fuertes School of Fuente del Arco (Badajoz).

The way that Almuradiel – the municipality located in the heart of the Sierra Morena reintroduction area – welcomed the project, as well as its firm support for the conservation of the Iberian lynx, merited its award, in this edition.

Another 2018 Iberlince award will fall on the residents of Andújar (Jaén), whose generosity and support were essential in the recovery of the species in the Peninsula. Although the Doñana lynx population has been widely known, the Andújar specimens were the true engines behind the Iberian lynx’s recovery. Without Andújar, the current lynx population wouldn’t have been reached. This was the area from which specimens were extracted to found the captive breeding plan, and integrate the Guadalmellato and Guarrizas reintroductions. Andújar residents were proud of the fact that their territory’s lynxes were responsible for the species’ salvation.

The Finca Peñalajo, located in the Viso del Marqués municipality, is highlighted for its active collaboration in the protection of the Iberian lynx. This is where the lynx came by themselves after the first releases in Sierra Morena, and the estate immediately opened its doors to the Life+Iberlince project.

These awards shall also mention the work of Diego García Márquez, 'the guard’ – as he likes to be called. His work is attested by over 30 years in the profession, during which he demonstrated his commitment to all areas of the environment, and to the Iberlince project, with which he collaborated since inception.

Wilder, who Portugal motioned to receive the distinction, has contributed significantly to the project’s dissemination among the public. Wilder is an online platform specialized in biodiversity, and one that encourages citizen involvement in its conservation.

Similarly, one should highlight schools’ involvement with the Iberlince project, namely the students and professors at Gloria Fuertes school of Fuente del Arco (Badajoz), who actively collaborated in each of the informative activities proposed by the Iberlince project.