Strasbourg, 5 May 2000 T-PVS (2000) 22 [Bern\T-PVS 2000\tpvs22e_2000] CONVENTION ON THE CONSERVATION OF EUROPEAN WILDLIFE AND NATURAL HABITATS Group of Experts on Conservation of Large Carnivores Oslo, 22-24 June 2000 Action Plan for the conservation of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) in Europe Document established by Urs Breitenmoser This document will not be distributed at the meeting. Please bring this copy. Ce document ne sera plus distribué en réunion. Prière de vous munir de cet exemplaire. T-PVS (2000) 22 - 2 - by Urs Breitenmoser1, Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten2, Henryk Okarma3, Thomas Kaphegyi4, Ursula Kaphegyi-Wallmann4, Ulrich M. Müller1 1Inst. of Veterinary-Virology, University of Bern, Laenggass-Str. 122, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland; 2KORA, Thunstr. 31, CH-3074 Muri, Switzerland; 3Inst. of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, PL-31-512 Cracow, Poland; 4Forstzoologisches Institut, University of Freiburg, Am Forenbühl 27, D-79252 Stegen-Wittental, Germany With the contribution of: Henrik Andrén, Linas Balčiauskas, Janez Čop, Alojzije Frković, Kiril Georgiev, Djuro Huber, Thomas Huber, Ovidu Ionescu, Petra Kaczensky, Theodoros Kominos, Petr Koubek, Tor Kvam, Olof Liberg, Ferenc Márkus, Paolo Molinari, Jánis Ozolinš, Milan Paunović, Anesti Postoli, Maria Panayotopoulou, Tiit Randveer, Nikolai Spassov, Philippe Stahl, Laste Stojanovski, Alexander Tkachenko, Paavo Tunkkari, Andrey Vasiliev, Jean-Michel Vandel, Manfred Wölfl, and Milan Zilinec Funded by WWF International Avenue du Mont Blanc Gland, Switzerland - 3 - T-PVS (2000) 22 The process behind the elaboration of the action plans Each Action Plan was first elaborated by the author in early 1998. These first drafts included input and comments from many experts throughout Europe. In October 1998, governmental experts then discussed the Plans at a meeting organised by the Council of Europe in Slovakia, after which the authors incorporated the comments received. The Plans were then reviewed by the Bern Convention Contracting Parties in December 1998 and again by the European Commission and EU governmental experts at a meeting of the Habitats Directive Scientific Committee in September 1999. All the comments received (and forwarded to the authors by the Commission via the Bern Convention Secretariat) were included in the final draft version presented at the Bern Convention Meeting of The Contracting Parties in December 1999. At this meeting, some governments advised that they still wished to comment on National Actions related to their respective countries and they were given until end February 2000 to send their comments to the Council of Europe. The authors have made every effort to incorporate all the comments received into the final Action Plans and apologise unreservedly should any have slipped through the net. It is clear from the above that these Plans have been through an exhaustive, collaborative process and received a wide consensus, culminating in Recommendation No. 74 (Dec 1999) of the Bern Convention Contracting Parties, December 1999. Where differing figures have been given by various national experts (in particular as regards population numbers), every effort has been made to include both (or all) totals. Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the WWF, the Council of Europe or the LCIE and its affiliated organisations. None of the organisations mentioned above, nor any person acting on their behalf, is responsible for the use which may be made of this document. The designation of geographical entities in the publication and the presentation of material do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the LCIE, WWF or the Council of Europe, or their supporting organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. May 2000 T-PVS (2000) 22 - 4 - Contents Mission Statement – The Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE)............................. 5 Preface.......................................................................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary .................................................................................................................. 10 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 12 2. Background information ...................................................................................................... 12 2.1. Description of the species .................................................................................................... 12 2.2. Distribution and population numbers................................................................................... 13 2.3. Life history ........................................................................................................................... 14 2.4. Lynx and humans ................................................................................................................. 16 2.5. Threats and limiting factors.................................................................................................. 17 2.6. Legal status, conservation status and recent conservation measures ................................... 19 3. Goals and objectives.............................................................................................................. 21 3.1. Goals..................................................................................................................................... 22 3.2. Objectives............................................................................................................................. 22 4. Actions required to meet goals and objectives on a pan-European level......................... 23 4.1. Policy and species conservation........................................................................................... 24 4.2. Recovery of endangered or extinct populations................................................................... 24 4.3. Resource management: habitat, corridors and food supply ................................................. 25 4.4. Conflicts with humans: depredation and competition to hunters......................................... 25 4.5. Public awareness and public involvement............................................................................ 26 4.6. Research and monitoring...................................................................................................... 26 5. Required actions by countries.............................................................................................. 27 6. References .............................................................................................................................. 55 7. List of contributors................................................................................................................ 57 8. Tables 1-7 ............................................................................................................................... 58 Figure 1. Historical distribution of lynx in Europe ..................................................................... 65 Figure 2. Recent distribution of lynx in Europe.......................................................................... 66 - 5 - T-PVS (2000) 22 Mission statement The Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE) “To maintain and restore, in coexistence with people, viable populations of large carnivores as an integral part of ecosystems and landscapes across Europe” Background • Europe, once a broad mosaic of natural habitats ideal for large carnivores, is now left with only scattered tracts of suitable "wildland". Brown bear, wolf, wolverine, Eurasian lynx and Iberian lynx still occur in Europe but they are forced to live in highly fragmented and human-dominated landscapes. • There was widespread and bitter opposition to large carnivores in the past but today there is increasing public interest in their conservation. However, the predatory behaviour of large carnivores often conflicts with local economic activity, especially livestock farming • Their current distribution is often confined to border areas which therefore requires cross border co-operation in order to conserve and manage populations. • The presence of large carnivores is a measure of regional biodiversity. Viable populations of large carnivores demonstrate Europe's contribution to the conservation of global biodiversity. • The political development within Europe, particularly within the European Union, with the partial disintegration of national borders and more unified legal and planning requirements, creates new and promising opportunities for the successful management of large carnivore populations on a European wide scale. • Implementation of the Natura 2000 sites in Europe, the increased priority to the conservation of natural areas, and the Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy (PEBLDS), give exciting opportunities for enhancing Europe's biodiversity. • It is clear that the challenge of conserving large carnivores is complex and dynamic, involving ecological, economic, institutional, political, and cultural factors and any attempt to solve this conservation issue must take this into account. Realistically, no single agency, organisation, or institution will be