University of Tirana, Faculty of Natural Sciences CONSERVATION OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED BALKAN LYNX – ACHIEVEMENTS AND ASPIRATIONS

• Main Author: Manuela Von Arx
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Macedonian Ecological Society (MES; Skopje; Macedonia; Lynx; Lynx lynx lynx
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.404.1728; http://www.catsg.org/balkanlynx/01_recovery-programme/1_7_conferences/tirana-sept-08/Tirana_Proceedings_Trajce_et_al_2008_Conservation_of_the_critically_endangered_Balkan_lynx.pdf

The Balkan lynx population is the most endangered autochthonous population of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in the world. Its present distribution is restricted to the border areas between Macedonia and Albania, spreading north into Montenegro and Kosovo and with vague indications in northern Greece. Due to the critical situation of the Balkan lynx population, a project was initiated in October 2006 aiming to secure its survival: the “Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme”. The project involves national organizations in the range countries and international ones. The ecology, status and conservation needs of the critically endangered Balkan lynx have not been well understood up to now. This information was however immediately needed as no conservation strategy can be developed without having the basic knowledge to define its actions. The conduction of a broad baseline survey about lynx, its prey and other carnivores in Albania and Macedonia was the first step undertaken. The information collected during this baseline survey is of high importance as it ensures valuable and contemporary data on lynx presence and distribution, its prey and other carnivores in both countries. Another aim of the survey was to uncover existing and potential conflicts between humans and large carnivores and to assess the influence of these conflicts on future conservation actions. Habitat conservation, as a very important factor in species conservation, is another main objective in the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme. The areas of distribution of the Balkan lynx are generally part of greater trans-boundary regions