A major new 100-page report provides the most detailed analysis yet of what a lynx reintroduction project in Scotland would need to do to ensure lynx and people could coexist.
It outlines conclusions and recommendations agreed by a nine-month national discussion involving a diverse, cross-sector range of 53 stakeholders including farmer and landowner organisations, gamekeepers, foresters, tourism operators and conservationists.
The National Lynx Discussion, held between May and November last year and organised by the Lynx to Scotland partnership, was independently facilitated by an expert from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conservation Planning Specialist Group.
The stakeholders concluded there is plenty of suitable woodland and natural prey for a viable population of lynx to be established in the Highlands. They identified positive economic benefits, mainly through eco-tourism, and agreed that some endangered wildlife might benefit due to lynx taking smaller predators, especially foxes.
Yaldi!
