Fieldwork carried out in the Algarve’s Guadiana Valley has identified a record number of Iberian lynx in the wild, confirming the continued recovery of the species in Portugal, it was announced today.
Portugal’s annual Iberian lynx monitoring campaign recorded a record number of captures, with 35 animals temporarily captured between 29 September and 9 December in the Guadiana Valley. This is the highest figure since the programme began in 2018, according to a statement released today by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).
The captures are temporary interventions for scientific and conservation purposes and are considered essential for monitoring the development of the free-ranging population. Over 26 days in the field, teams covered eight areas between Odeleite, in the south, and Serpa, in the north of the valley. Of the 35 lynx captured, nine were juveniles. Twenty-two animals were fitted with LoRaWAN transmitter collars, which can issue an alert when a lynx approaches road sections deemed particularly hazardous.
The devices communicate with navigation platforms such as Waze and form part of a broader strategy to mitigate roadkill, one of the leading causes of mortality for the Iberian lynx in Portugal.
The campaign is conducted annually by the ICNF, with its primary aim being to assess the health status of the lynx population, information regarded as crucial for guiding management and conservation decisions.
Each captured animal is identified, photographed, examined, and given any necessary vaccinations. Samples are also collected for biological analysis and genotyping. Whenever possible, lynx are fitted with tracking collars, allowing for the early detection of physical problems and the analysis of movement patterns and behaviour across their territory.
The data gathered has proved instrumental in mapping risk areas, particularly road stretches where vehicle speed and the lynx’s exploratory behaviour increase the likelihood of collisions. Once all procedures are completed, the animals are released back into their natural habitat.
The fieldwork involved specialist technicians, nature wardens, and forest rangers, whose hard work made 2025 the year with the highest number of captures and tagged lynxes since the programme’s inception.
This was the final campaign carried out under the LIFE Lynxconnect project, a joint Portuguese-Spanish initiative funded by the European Union, which strengthened connectivity between populations and helped improve the species’ survival prospects. Despite the project’s conclusion, the ICNF has confirmed that monitoring of the Iberian lynx in Portugal will continue.
The Guadiana Valley remains one of the key areas for the species’ recovery in Portugal, hosting a significant proportion of the free-ranging breeding population.
In 2024, the Iberian lynx was removed from the “Endangered” category at Iberian level and reclassified as “Vulnerable” on the Red List of Threatened Species, in what is widely regarded as one of the most successful wildlife conservation stories at an international level.
According to the latest Iberian Lynx Census, the total population reached 2,401 individuals in 2024, with 2,047 in Spain and 354 in Portugal. Of these, 1,557 are adults or young adults, and 844 are cubs born in the wild.
Source: ICNF
