Iberlince technicians explain how the Iberian lynx can be a resource for rural development, at an employment workshop

The Life+Iberlince project participated in the "Sierra de Noez Paths and Landscapes" Employment Workshop, in the Toledo municipality of Noez, where they showed how the Iberian lynx can become an important resource for rural development.

Promoted by the Toledo Provincial Council, this workshop seeks to train students on tourism and the environment in order for them to value and take advantage of the area’s natural resources and, ultimately, to diversify local economy and discover new sources of employment.

During the talk, project technicians highlighted the importance of the lynx as a generator of new opportunities for the area’s local development.

Little by little, the feline’s reintroduction is positioning environmental tourism as a source of income for rural economies, technicians said.

The releases made since 2014, and a record three consecutive years of births in the wild, fill neighbours of the Montes de Toledo region with hope, who witness how the lynx is once again residing on their mountains.

The employment workshop students showed great interest in the project and in the species’ biology, which must be preserved so it can be enjoyed by future generations.

They also highlighted the important role private estate owners played in the species’ conservation, as well as their willingness to undertake collaboration agreements.

Initiatives such as the one developed in Noez focus on valuing local resources and offering multiple perspectives to generate positive economic impacts for the inhabitants of rural municipalities.

In this regard, the presence of the Iberian lynx becomes an attraction for nature tourism, which keeps growing year after year around the world.

With this initiative, the Life+Iberlince project aims for the international recognition of areas with Iberian lynx presence for nature tourism, as well as to bring visitors to well-preserved natural systems that take advantage of the entire landscape, and the territories’ natural and cultural assets.

Life+Iberlince is a transnational project, involving two countries, Portugal and Spain. In Spain there are five communities involved: Andalusia (coordinator), Murcia, Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Development heads a group of project partners in Castilla-La Mancha, such as WWF, Aproca, FOMECAM and the Autonomous Organization of National Parks, with the participation of the Cabañeros National Park.