Almost half of the 36 wild cat species in the world are threatened , according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Furthermore, the lack of studies on the loss and fragmentation of the habitats they occupy makes it difficult to implement effective conservation strategies. For example, in Spain, despite the efforts that have been made to protect the Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ), there are many accidents on the roads .
It is difficult to improve the status of the most threatened feline on the planet due to the continuous incursions into its natural environment. With an increasingly reduced and fragmented habitat, the future of the lynx is in question .
To study the situation of the lynx and other species of felines that live in the wild, a team of Brazilian and Spanish scientists has reviewed the existing scientific literature on the loss and fragmentation of their habitats, which constitutes the main threat to their survival. mammals .
Although the production of scientific works is high – last January, for example, some 60,000 articles were published – the researchers only found 162 studies related to the threats suffered by felines, which is very negative, according to Francisco Palomares, researcher in the Department of Conservation Biology of the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC). The lack of funding for research and communication between managers and researchers is among the causes of the problem .
North America and Europe generate the largest number of studies on habitat loss in felines, but even so, the real extent of the problem in 16 endangered feline species , such as the Andean cat ( Leopardus jacobita ), the cat, is unknown. of Borneo ( Pardofelis badia ), the flat-headed cat ( Prionailurus planiceps ) and the fishing cat ( Prionailurus viverrinus ).
The Iberian lynx is one of the most studied felines, but it is also the most threatened, as it is in a critical state of extinction, according to the red list of species given by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. According to the review of the scientific literature carried out by the study authors, it is a model species and an example to follow to evaluate the effect of habitat loss and fragmentation .
To protect it, it is necessary to preserve the Mediterranean scrub where it lives and provide it with good populations of rabbits, according to Palomares. The lynx’s conservation strategy consists of connecting isolated populations through ecological corridors .
