Essay On Iberian Lynx

The Iberian Lynx is an endangered species of lynx located in Southern Spain. They are known for their tawny, spotted fur and ‘beard’ like fur covering their lower head.
The Iberian Lynx is a highly specialised hunter with several adaptions like their foreshortened skull which increases bite force and aids their ability to catch small prey.
Up to 86% of the Lynx’s diet consists of European rabbit. They will also feed on rodents and other small animals such as birds. They hunt mainly at twilight and are a solitary species.
Unlike their European cousins (Lynx lynx), the Iberian lynx inhabits scrubland rather than thick temperate forest. They are also considerably smaller at 85-110 cm long (had to tail). In the wild, the maximum longevity
is thirteen years but can live up sixteen years in captivity.
The Iberian Peninsula is home to the Iberian Lynx and is dominated by a patchwork of dense scrubland and flat grass land as well as soft marshes. The peninsula covers all of Spain, Andorra and Portugal as well as much of southern France. At it’s closest point, the peninsula is only 8 km from the African continent. Two thirds of the peninsula is covered by the central plateau called Meseta which is surrounded by the Iberian ranges.

Erosion due to loss of vegetation, rainfall and temperature in the warm grassland of the Iberian peninsula are the main abiotic factors impacting the lynx at present-mainly due to the impact they have on their prey. The erosion of soil is slowly but surely altering how the ecosystem functions and while not affecting the lynx directly, it is having a huge impact on lynx’s prey and biotic surroundings. The lynx needs a stable climate in order to survive because of their inability to adapt to extreme temperatures. Intense rainfall has been proven to cause low breeding rates while a lack of rainfall can affect the population of prey.
Plants such as the strawberry tree, mastic, and juniper dominate the dense scrubland favourable to the lynx. The Iberian Lynx’s fur camouflages perfectly with these dense shrubs, allowing it to creep closer to it’s prey before attacking. The decreasing population of prey such as rabbits due to disease has had a high impact on the survival of the lynx and is one of the main reasons behind its current low population. The Iberian lynx is also in interspecific competition with the Red fox, Egyptian mongoose and Wildcat. However it is the effect of intraspecific competition that has the most impact on the species, as each lynx requires a territory of about 20 km square.
The construction of high speed roads and freeways in southern Spain has resulted in the clearing of land. While the construction of human infrastructure projects like dams and housing projects have also increased in the region.
Humans have also been clearing land for agricultural purposes in the peninsula for generations. In fact Southern Spain is the area’s largest producer of fruit and vegetables. The need to protect this resource has lead to some farmers killing off native species in order to protect their live stock and farm land. Intensive farming techniques that include draining vast amounts of water have increased as well.
Traps set for introduced species often end up ensnaring native species. Illegal hunting of animals is till common in the area.

Human actions in the Iberian Peninsula have had serious impacts on the ecosystem-the worst of which are only starting to be realised.
Human caused climate change and intensive farming techniques have resulted in the rapid desertification of the area which scientists say is only going to increase. Miguel Arias Cañete, the EU’s commissioner for Climate Action and Energy warns that some areas of Spain may be inhabitable in the near future. This desertification has resulted in a decrease of natural vegetation which in turn has increased soil erosion. Climate change may also mean that certain species won’t be able to survive in their current locations.
Infrastructure such as freeways, dams and housing projects have resulted in the fragmentation of many native species-lowering the overall biodiversity of the region. Freeways have caused many accidents for local species, in 2014 alone, 21 Iberian Lynxes were killed during collisions on the road.
Illegal poaching has also vastly reduced the population of species.
Despite the many environmental problems facing the region, many policies and measures have and will be put in place in hopes to return the ecosystem to it’s natural state.
Alternative farming practices are being tested in hopes to halt the desertification of the region. They have had little success so far but there is now more awareness of the issue and there is likely to be a breakthrough in the coming years.
The restoration of the natural habitat through the reintroduction of native vegetation to cleared land is already having positive affects on the level of biodiversity. Other conservation efforts like maintaining stable populations of native species has also been equally successful.
Outlawing poaching of native animals has also changed the decreasing population trends. Breeding endangered species in captivity then reintroducing them into the wild is reversing the tide of fragmentation.
The impact of infrastructure projects to the natural environment is now considered more carefully before the development is allowed to occur.
Even with all these positive changes to human activity to the Iberian Peninsula, many species are still under threat and powerful international action towards Climate Change still hasn’t been
undertaken.