Large Carnivores in Central Europe: Experiences in Monitoring, Management, and Communication 18-20 April 2016, Berlin, Germany History, status, and conservation perspectives of the Eurasian lynx Urs Breitenmoser & Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten University of Bern & KORA, Switzerland Large Carnivores in Central Europe: Experiences in Monitoring, Management, and Communication 18-20 April 2016, Berlin, Germany History, status, and conservation perspectives of the Eurasian lynx Urs Breitenmoser & Christine Breitenmoser-Würsten University of Bern & KORA, Switzerland 1. History and present status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 1. History and present status Ridinger 1737 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives Historic distribution of Lynx lynx and Lynx pardinus in Europe Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx Fossil records only Early historic times About 1800 About 1960 Iberic lynx Lynx pardinus About 1800 About 1960 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives Present distribution of Lynx lynx in Europe Lynx lynx Permanent presence Sporadic presence Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012 (Kaczensky et al. 2013a) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives Present distribution of Lynx lynx in Central Europe Autochthonous populations: 1. Baltic L. l. lynx 2. Balkan L. l. balcanicus 3. Carpathian L. l. carpathicus Reintroduced populations: 4. Alpine 5. Bohemian‐Bavarian 6. Dinaric 7. Harz 8. Jura 9. Vosges‐Palatinian Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012 (Kaczensky et al. 2013a) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 1. Baltic Population • Lynx l. lynx • Adjacent to large Russian population • Without Belarus • Reintroduction in NE-Poland (L. l. lynx) • Reintroduction in C-Poland (mixed) • Highly fragmented in Lithuania & Poland • IUCN Red List: LC Country Abundance Trend Estonia 790 Stable Latvia <600 Stable Lithuania 40-60 Increasing Poland NE 96 Stable 10x10 km cells occupied: Ukraine 80-90 Stable? Permanent: 823 Total 1600 Stable Sporadic: 447 All: 1270 Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 2. Balkan Population • Lynx l. balcanicus • 20–39 mature individuals • IUCN Red List: CR (D) Country Abundance Trend 10x10 km cells occupied: FYROM 27-52 Permanent: 45 Albania ind. lynx decreasing Sporadic: 147 All: 186 Montenegro 0 (sporadic) Kosovo 1 (sporadic) Greece 0 (sporadic) Total 27-52 decreasing Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 3. Carpathian Population • Lynx l. carpathicus • Source for many reintroductions • Expanding in the south (SRB, BG) • No scientific robust monitoring • Probably over-estimated (ex. SK) • IUCN Red List: LC Country Abundance Trend Romania 1200-1500 Stable Slovakia 300-400 Stable? Poland 200 Stable Ukraine 350-400 Stable? Czech Rep. 13 Stagnant? Hungary 1-3 Stagnant Serbia 50 Slight incr. 10x10 km cells occupied: Permanent: 1126 Bulgaria 11 Expanding Sporadic: 347 Total 2300-2400 Stable All: 1473 Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 3. Carpathian Population Bottleneck of the Carpathian population Country Minimum Minimum Population population year 2012 Romania 100-120 1933-38 1200-1500 Slovakia 40-50 1934 300-400 Poland few 1946 200 Ukraine <100 1960 350-400 Czech Rep. 0 1909 13 Hungary 0 1915 1-3 Serbia - - 50 Bulgaria 0 1935 11 Total 240-270 2300-2400 Sources: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) Breitenmoser & Breitenmoser-Würsten 2008 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 4. Alpine Population • Lynx l. carpathicus • Reintroduced (CH, SLO) • Jura/Alps mixed • SCALP-Monitoring • IUCN Red List: EN (D) Country Abundance Trend 10x10 km cells occupied: Switzerland 96‐107 Stable/incr. Permanent: 93 Slovenia Few Stagnant Sporadic: 150 All: 243 Italy 10‐15 Stagnant Austria 3‐5 Stagnant France 13 Stagnant Total 130 Stagnant Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 5. Bohemian-Bavarian Population • Lynx l. carpathicus • Reindroduced population • IUCN Red List: CR (D) 10x10 km cells occupied: Country Abundance Trend Permanent: 56 Czech Republic 30-40 Stable Sporadic: 101 Germany 12 Stagnant All: 157 Austria 5-10 Stagnant Total 50 Stable/decr. Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 6. Dinaric Population • Lynx l. carpathicus • Reintroduced (SLO) • Possible inbreeding depression • Situation BIH unclear • IUCN Red List: EN (D) 10x10 km cells occupied: Country Abundance Trend Permanent: 202 Sporadic: 98 Slovenia 10-15 Decreasing All: 300 Croatia 50 Stable Bosnia-Herzegovina 70 (?) Increasing Total 120-130 Stagnant Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 7. Harz Population • Lynx l. ssp. (Zoo animals) • Reintroduced (D) Country Abundance Trend Germany (28)1 Increasing Total - Increasing 1AMiddelhoff & Anders (2015): 10x10 km cells occupied: 16 independent + 12 juvenile lynx Permanent: 3 in a reference area of 746 km² in Sporadic: 21 the western Harz Mountains. All: 24 Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 8. Jura Population • Lynx l. carpathicus • Reintroduced (CH) • CH source for translocations • IUCN Red List: EN (D) Country Abundance Trend Switzerland 28-36 Increasing France 76 Increasing Total >100 Increasing 10x10 km cells occupied: Permanent: 94 Sporadic: 84 All: 178 Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 9. Vosges-Palatinian Population • Lynx l. carpathicus • Reintroduced (F) • Recent decrease (no detection) • Reintroduction project in Palatinia • IUCN Red List: CR (C2a(i, ii) D) Country Abundance Trend France 19 Stagnant Germany 0 Decreasing Total 19 Decreasing 10x10 km cells occupied: Permanent: 14 Sporadic: 46 All: 60 Source: LCIE/SPOIS 2012; (Kaczensky et al. 2013a, b) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives Palatinia Black Forest always males… Kalkalpen Source reintrduced spontaneous 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives Assessment and legal status of Lynx lynx in Central Europe Assessment of populations according to IUCN Red List (from Kaczensky et al. 2023a) Autochthonous populations: 1. Baltic L. l. lynx LC Listing of the species 2. Balkan L. l. balcanicus CR (C2a(i, ii) D) Lynx lynx in Europe 3. Carpathian L. l. carpathicus LC EU Habitat Directives: Annex II + IV Reintroduced populations: 4. Alpine EN (D) Bern Convention: Appendix III 5. Bohemian‐Bavarian CR (D) 6. Dinaric EN (D) 7. Harz n.a. [CR] 8. Jura EN (D) 9. Vosges‐Palatinian CR (C2a(i, ii) D) 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 2. Monitoring principles 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 2. Monitoring principles Categorise observations according to certainty and verifiability. Not all observations have the same significance. 1. Categorisation 2. Stratification Stratify data sets according to resolution and reliability. High-quality data are expensi- ve to gain and cannot be ga- thered over large areas. 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 1. Categorisation Category 1 = “hard facts” verified and unchallenged, e.g. dead lynx, pictures, genetic identification Category 2 = “confirmed observations killed livestock or wild prey, and lynx tracks or other field signs confirmed by a trained person Category 3 = Unconfirmed or uncon- firmable observations all observations reported by laymen, Lynx distribution Switzerland 2014 according not documented in a way that they can to SCALP categories be confirmed 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 1. Categorisation Observed lynx distribution in the Alps and Dinaric Mountains 2014 based on a 10x10 km grid. A distinction was made between different SCALP categories and whether the observation included reproduction or not1. Lynx populations outside of the Alpine and Dinaric range are not shown (no data is available from Bosnia and Herzegovina) (Molinari et al. 2015). 1. History and status 2. Monitoring principles 3. Conservation challenges 4. Conservation perspectives 2. Stratification Concept of stratified monitoring: Level Range Questions Distribution, range, relative Species range, area, Europe I abundance/trend, taxonomy Distribution, dynamics, Population, meta-population