Every time we encounter elderly inhabitants of the Caldeirão Mountain, we ask if it still remembers seeing the Iberian lynx… But they rarely recognize this name as corresponding to the elusive short tailed cat with stiff black hairs in the tip of the ears... the Iberian lynx is here known by the name of gato-cravo or liberne! Times have changed, its main prey, the wild rabbit, diminished drastically in the region and the gato-cravo was never seen again. Who knows him today as ‘Iberian lynx’ never had the opportunity to watch him in the wild…

To remember this flagship species and aware local communities for the need for its habitat conservation, we have been promoting information and awareness raising campaigns to present Habitat Lince Abutre LIFE project and the Iberian lynx. Thus, on October 18, 40 local stakeholders of the Algarvian region of São Brás de Alportel discussed with the project’s team several themes related with nature conservation in general and the Iberian lynx in particular. Considering the number of people that attended this first gathering and concerning the number of doubts and questions posed by the audience, we decided to organize a second meeting, this time addressed to the whole local population.
As a result, on November 8, another 30 people gathered to hear us talking about the project and see their questions about the Iberian lynx answered.




No one in the audience had ever seen the Iberian lynx in nature and, for some of them, it was the first time they saw an image of the Iberian lynx…
One of the most debated themes was the Iberian strategy for the species’ recovery and the efforts made for its protection and recovery in Portugal. There was also opportunity to demystify the ‘releases’ of several animal species and discuss losses of farm animals (ex. chickens, sheep) caused by some wild carnivores, as well as some preventive measures for its occurrence.

 

 

 

The team of Habitat Lince Abutre thanks for the presence of everyone who joined us during this event, and the Civil Parish of São Brás de Alportel, namely its President, Mr. David Gonçalves, and Mrs. Ircília Pereira for having accepted our invitation and hosted this meeting. We also thank the City Council of São Brás de Alportel for publicizing this initiative to the local population.

Soon, we will be giving another project presentation in the Caldeirão Mountain. Stay tuned to our events’ list!