Lynx May Once Again Roam Free in the UK

Proposal to rewild cats across England and Scotland moves forward in the British Isles

A wildlife group in the UK is putting forward a case for bringing wild cats back to the British countryside as part of a long-term rewilding proposal, igniting a debate about the merits, and risks, of reintroduction.

The nonprofit Lynx UK Trust has led the charge for reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx, which disappeared from the UK more than 1,000 years ago due to hunting, trapping, and deforestation. The trust has proposed reintroduction of 18 lynx, and is examining potential locations in Aberdeenshire, Argyll, Northumberland, Cumbria and Norfolk counties. Under the trust’s proposal — which will be submitted to environmental agencies in both England and Scotland — lynx could be released as early as next year. They would be observed and monitored for their social, economic, and environmental impacts throughout the five-year trial.

photo of Eurasian LynxPhoto by Tambako The JaguarLynx have been absent from the UK countryside for more than 1,000 years, but if the Lynx UK Trust is successful in its efforts, they may soon be reintroduced.

The Lynx UK Trust has launched its own public consultation process surrounding the rewilding project, and has relied on research by AECOM, an infrastructure and environmental services company, to assess the benefits of reintroduction.

The trust believes that reintroduction will improve ecosystem health. In particular, lynx would prey on deer which would help control deer populations and decrease overgrazing. Reduced overgrazing would, in turn, allow for forest regeneration and improved habitat for other wildlife.

AECOM’s research also indicates that reintroduction would increase eco-tourism in the British countryside, and would result in hundreds of new jobs during the trial reintroduction period, and tens of millions of pounds in eco-tourism revenue over a 25-year period. AECOM estimates that for every £1 spent on the reintroduction scheme, £47 will be returned to the UK economy. Some expect that the increased interest in eco-tourism, in turn, will have an impact on local attitudes toward the environment more generally, as residents will become more aware of how their actions alter their surroundings and the habitat of lynx.

But the project is motivated by more than just economic incentives. Jonny Hughs, chief executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which supports the reintroduction project, has suggested that rewilding efforts are closely related to the heart of the conservation movement more generally. “Many, but not all, humans have an empathy with nature — they inherently feel a sense of responsibility to care for other species for their intrinsic value,” he said in a 2014 speech.

There is also, however, strong opposition to the reintroduction of lynx into the UK countryside. Perhaps the most outspoken opponent is the National Farmers Union (NFU), which is concerned about the “sanitization” of the UK’s landscape, and argues that the behaviour of the lynx in a brand new habitat would be too unpredictable for any risk to be managed effectively. “The environment has changed drastically and we do not know how lynx would behave in the current environment,” Clair Robinson, countryside adviser for the NFU, said in a press release.

The NFU is particularly concerned about this unpredictability when it comes to impacts on farmers. “The biggest concern we have would be the impact on farm animals with lynx preying on lambs, poultry and outdoor piglets — those animals are farmers’ livelihoods,” Robinson added.

The NFU is lobbying English and Scottish licencing bodies against the rewilding proposals, pointing to high costs and risk of failure.

Concerns about sanitization of the landscape have been echoed by Paul Lister, the multi-millionaire owner of a large estate in northeast Scotland, who himself has put forward plans to create an enclosed natural wilderness reserve, in which he would introduce the lynx and other native species. Speaking to The Guardian, Lister said: “I’m not an advocate of reintroduction, I’m not a supporter of letting these big animals out in the freedom of the countryside, because we’ve sanitized our landscape so much I don’t think there’s enough tolerance of these animals for us to be coached through the whole process.”

It is true that, since lynx were last seen in the wild in the UK, the landscape has been altered beyond recognition — nobody can say they know exactly how the lynx will respond to their new environment. However, lynx populations have been successfully restored in similar environments, including regions of France, Switzerland, and Germany.

Citing strong public support for lynx reintroduction — a 2015 survey indicated that public support for the project is as high as 90 percent — the Lynx UK Trust is moving forward with its proposal. In October 2015, the trust initiated a consultation process with national stakeholder groups. And earlier this week, the Lynx UK Trust held a meeting with 20 of these stakeholder groups to discuss the reintroduction proposal in more detail.

“The stakeholder event was extremely constructive and everyone spoke in an open and genuine manner,” Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific advisor for the trust, said in a statement. “On the back of this event, we hope to announce the first potential release site in the next month and that’s when it’s going to get really exciting.”

The Lynx Trust UK intends to continue dialogue with opposition groups, including farming and forestry organizations, to develop agreeable protocols for the trial reintroduction. Though some stakeholders remain opposed to the plan, the trust has made inroads with other groups.

“We understand that productive forests are likely to be the principal habitat of lynx and that they are expected to feed mainly on roe deer,” Jason Sinden, head of investment and property from Tilhill Forestry and an attendee of the recent stakeholders meeting, said in a statement. “Tilhill Forestry would support the trial to re-introduce Lynx to the UK if the key concerns of stakeholders can be met, which include the active involvement of farming and forestry interests on the advisory panel covering the re-introduction trial.”

In July, the trust hopes to move the consultation to a more local level so that the people and organizations in the areas earmarked for the lynx trial reintroduction can weigh in on the plans. And if all goes as planned and the trust gets its trial licences in 2017, lynx could soon be roaming the British countryside once again.

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