Conservation of the Iberian lynx is one of the finest examples of Spanish environmental protection, says Isabel García Tejerina

Isabel García Tejerina accompanied Her Majesty Queen Sofia to the official opening of the new Iberian lynx enclosure at the Madrid Zoo Aquarium with the arrival of two animals from the breeding centre in Zarza de la Granadilla: Jazmín and Kalama.

The event was also attended by the State Secretary for Environmental Affairs, Pablo Saavedra; the Director of the Autonomous Authority for National Parks, Basilio Rada; the Managing Director of Parques Reunidos, Fernando Eiroa; and the Environment Councillors from the Regional Government of Madrid and the Regional Government of Andalusia, Jaime González Taboada and José Fiscal, among other officials.

Iberian Lynx Conservation Programme

In her speech, Isabel García Tejerina stressed that the Iberian Lynx Conservation Programme - coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Affairs and forming part of the National Strategy for their conservation - "is a fine example of its success".

She explained that the Ministry of Agriculture contributes to this breeding programme by managing two of the four exclusive centres that exist: the centre in El Acebuche, in the Doñana National Park, managed by the Regional Government of Andalusia; and the centre in Granadilla, in Cáceres, which receive an annual investment of over 1.2 million euros from the Ministry of Agriculture.

391 Iberian lynxes have now been born across the network of breeding centres and 145 have been reintroduced into their natural environment. These releases meant that, in 2016, lynxes have been breeding in the wild in Portugal, Extremadura and the Montes de Toledo.

EFEIsabel García Tejerina explained that the success of this conservation programme not only depends on the breeding and reintroduction activities. The minister believes that "knowledge, awareness-raising and communication activities are an essential part of this programme and in any nature conservation initiative".

Hence, the presence of these animals at such centres as the Madrid Zoo, where they are assured of a good quality of life, will help raise awareness about this iconic species and bring awareness of the results of conservation programmes that have shown themselves to work.

The Spanish minister stressed that the Madrid Zoo Aquarium has a long tradition in conservation projects for endangered species under the agreement signed with her ministerial department and the Iberian Zoos and Aquariums Association. "Its role in the conservation and recovering of endangered species is very important", she said.

Future for the lynx

Furthermore, Isabel García Tejerina said that the future for the lynx is much brighter today than it was a few years ago. In fact, it is estimated there are some 400 lynxes on the Iberian Peninsula, including 120 females. This is "a far cry from just 100 lynxes that existed 20 years ago", she said.

Besides the lynx, many other species that were on the verge of extinction - such as the imperial eagle, the black vulture, the bearded vulture and the brown bear - have overcome their critical situation thanks to a joint effort from everyone. The minister said this is "very good news that should encourage us to keep working hard, because we still have a long way to go".