Lynx in Austria regionally threatened with extinction
CHURCH VILLAGE. On the occasion of International Lynx Day on June 11th, the nature conservation organization WWF Austria is warning of the regional extinction of Europe’s largest cat species. Since the 1970s, the once exterminated lynx have been able to be resettled in this country. Five animals are said to live in the region around the Kalkalpen National Park.
The number of lynxes in Austria is currently stagnating at a very low level. “The maximum of 35 to 40 native lynx live in small isolated populations. Habitat is massively cut up. Therefore there are hardly any offspring. Genetic impoverishment through inbreeding is also a major problem,” explains WWF biologist Magdalena Erich. Because lynx are also endangered by illegal persecution, there is a risk of further population decline over the years and, in the worst case, their complete disappearance. The WWF therefore calls for better spatial planning and more responsibility in the fight against wildlife crime. Settlement projects can also effectively support the lynx population.
Five animals in the region of the Kalkalpen National Park
There are still three native lynx occurrences. Their distribution areas are highly fragmented and the occurrences are small. In the north of the country, Austria has a share in the cross-border Bohemian-Bavarian-Austrian population. 20 to 25 lynxes – favored cross-border commuters – were found in the Waldviertel and Mühlviertel. The region around the Upper Austrian Kalkalpen National Park includes a highly threatened population of currently only five animals. There were recently indications of two lynxes in the Hochschwab area of Styria. The occurrence of slightly fewer lynxes in Vorarlberg and Tyrol is a result of the slowly expanding population in eastern Switzerland.
Encourage and connect stock support
“In the long term, lynxes can only survive in Austria if the small populations are promoted and linked with one another,” says WWF expert Erich. In addition, it would have to be possible to curb illegal persecution, to prevent further fragmentation of habitats – for example by roads, settlements and industrial areas – and to overcome them by building safe crossing options such as green bridges, demands the WWF.