Currently, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is the rarest mammal in Italy and risks becoming extinct in our country. For this reason, after a discussion with the local hunting associations, the Carabinieri Biodiversity Group, the Carabinieri Forestali, Progetto Lince Italia, LIFE Lynx and Wwf and the Friuli-Venezia Region have decided to develop a strategy for the protection of the species.
This is how ULyCA2 was born, an internationally coordinated project operating in synergy with the EU “LIFE Lynx” project, both with the aim of “Preventing the extinction of the lynx in the Dinaric Mountains and in the South-Eastern Alps with reinforcement and conservation.
Carabinieri and WWF explain that “These reinforcement measures concretely mean the reintroduction of five individuals of lynx, coming from Switzerland (Jura), Romania (Carpathians) and Croatia (Dinaric Mountains) and are intended to numerically and genetically reinforce the tiny Italian nucleus , which nonetheless has a strategic role as a stepping stone between the Dinaric population and that of the Western Alps. In fact, the animals will be released in the Forest of Tarvisio (UD) in Friuli V.G. – a historic territory for the presence of this species in Italy and which from a biogeographic point of view is in a key position for the objectives and conservation efforts of this species in the Alps and in Europe».
The activity is part of the WWF ReNature Campaign which supports the project and whose mission is to reverse the loss of species and habitats, protect and restore Nature in order to achieve the goal of a positive nature world by 2030, as enshrined by the main international conventions
Depending on the progress of the trapping activities that are being carried out in the “donor” countries of Switzerland and Romania, the releases will take place in a period between March and the end of April. The organizers of the reintroduction of the lynx point out that «It is a complex international operation from an organisational, logistical and technical-scientific point of view, which has required and requires broad sharing and participation. The release phase will be followed by an intensive monitoring activity, carried out by experts with the aid of GPS collars, camera traps and genetic samples. It should be remembered that from a naturalistic point of view this is a historic moment for the conservation of fauna in our country». The article The lynx will return to the Italian Julian Alps seems to be the first in Greenreport: ecological economics and sustainable development.
