Lynx to Scotland: Getting it right
In January, four young lynx were illegally abandoned in the Cairngorms. No one knows the motives behind this cruel act. These tame animals, too familiar with humans, were quickly captured. Sadly, one of the lynx died shortly after, but the others were cared for by Edinburgh Zoo and have now moved to an enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie.
A silver lining in this unfortunate event is that there can be little doubt that people in Scotland now know what a lynx is. A poll taken after the lynx were found showed that 61% of Scots support bringing lynx back to Scotland, an increase in support since a similar poll in 2021. This is good news for the Lynx to Scotland partnership, which includes Trees for Life, Scotland: The Big Picture, and The Lifescape Project. For over four years, we have been working to understand if and how lynx could be reintroduced to Scotland.
Lynx are medium-sized wild cats, roughly the size of a labrador. Solitary and elusive, they live in woodlands and hunt primarily roe deer. They pose no threat to humans. Once native to Scotland, lynx were driven to extinction in the Middle Ages due to habitat loss and hunting.
Today, Scotland has plenty of connected woodlands and enough roe deer for at least 250 lynx to thrive in the Highlands. These lynx could bring many benefits, such as helping with woodland regeneration by controlling deer populations and supporting ground-nesting birds by disrupting smaller predators like foxes. Additionally, their presence would boost the Highland economy through ecotourism. However, it is also clear that a lynx reintroduction would raise concern.
In February, in response to concerns about sheep predation, Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney, announced at the National Farmers Union Scotland conference that lynx would not be reintroduced under his government. This statement appeared to be a direct response to lobbying from farming organisations and was widely seen as a knee-jerk reaction aimed at appeasing them in the moment. It’s a reminder why an official future reintroduction of lynx to the Highlands must be properly managed with habitat assessments, public consultation, and a government licence. We need to get it right over lynx return.
The process we have been through has been thorough, collaborative and deeply respectful. We have listened to the concerns of those who oppose lynx reintroduction, and they, in turn, have heard the arguments in favour of returning lynx to Scotland.
Over the past year, the Lynx to Scotland partnership has brought together 53 stakeholders - including farming organisations, landowners, gamekeepers, foresters, tourism operators, and conservationists - to discuss the challenges and concerns related to lynx reintroduction. Over 12 sessions lasting a total of 50 hours, deep and diverse discussions have taken place. We’ve been learning from other projects in Europe, assessing possible impacts in Scotland and considering what needs to be done to avoid or manage potential problems.
The main worries are about the lynx hunting sheep, game birds like pheasants, and affecting forestry operations. The group has made suggestions to reduce these risks, and the Lynx to Scotland partnership is now looking at how to implement these recommendations. Once this is done, proposals will be shared with local communities in the Highlands for further consultation. A summary of the stakeholder views from Scotland’s National Lynx Discussion can be found here.
Despite government opposition and continued lobbying from farming organisations, I believe that the reintroduction of lynx to Scotland is not a matter of “if,” but “when.” While the timeline is uncertain and there is still a long road ahead, there is hope that, with the government listening to ongoing public support and careful planning, the return of lynx could be sooner than we might think.
The Lynx to Scotland is a partnership project between Trees for Life, Scotland: The Big Picture and the Lifescape Project. It is funded by the ForestPeace Foundation, Fred Foundation, Orp Foundation, Sigrid Rausing Trust and the Rewilding Innovation Fund (Rewilding Britain).
