The Iberian Lynx

THE IBERIAN LYNX IBERIAN LYNX INTERPRETATION AND OBSERVATION CENTRE

The Iberian Lynx Interpretation and Observation Center, in São João dos Caldeireiros, is an open space 24 hours a day, whose purpose is to welcome visitors in a shaded space, providing information about this endangered feline and its habitat, through content displayed on information panels. From this spot it is possible to observe the enclosure where, in 2014, in the Guadiana valley, the 1st couple of Iberian lynxes were released under the Iberian Conservation Program.

In Portugal, the Iberian lynx reintroduction program began in 2015 and its main objective was the restoration of Mediterranean ecosystems and the enhancement of territories. This program is the result of strict cooperation between Portugal and Spain and is the basis for the success of the project to conserve and safeguard this species, which was once the most threatened feline in the world and which only exists in Portugal and Spain. Thanks to the efforts of both countries, lynxes were bred in the 4 Reproduction Centers in Captivity, the only one existing in Portugal, the CNRLI – National Center for Reproduction of the Iberian Lynx, of the ICNF – Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests. , I.P., is located in Silves, Algarve.