Lynx could thrive if reintroduced to suitable Scottish sites, says study
Scotland could provide a suitable habitat for wild lynx populations, according to a new academic study of three potential sites up and down the country.
Researchers at the University of Stirling used state-ofthe-art tools to identify the most suitable location for lynx reintroduction in Scotland and how this choice might affect the size of a population and its potential expansion over subsequent decades.
The Eurasian lynx is thought to have become extinct in the UK during the medieval period about 1,300 years ago. However, its potential reintroduction has been widely debated in recent years. While supporters say the native species would offer environmental benefits and eco-tourism worth millions of pounds, some sheep farmers have raised concerns the predators would decimate herds.
The team used land current cover data combined with the animal’s demographic and dispersal characteristics elsewhere in Europe to investigate three proposed release sites, including the Scottish part of Kielder Forest in the Borders, Aberdeenshire and the Kintyre Peninsula.
The results showed Scotland possessed “sufficient, connected habitat to offer a realistic chance of population establishment”.