Wildwood Trust: Lynx reintroduction to UK boosted by 'unprecedented landowner approval'

Lynx reintroduction to UK boosted by 'unprecedented landowner approval'

One of the most ambitious rewilding projects in the UK has received a boost.

Lynx UK Trust and Wildwood Trust are working together to reintroduce six Eurasian lynx to the Kielder Forest in Northumberland for a five-year trial period. Landowners covering 270 square miles of potential habitat for the medium-sized cats have now given their approval for the project.

The application for the trial reintroduction is currently sitting with Michael Gove, the environment secretary, and Natural England, and approval for the trial is now considered a near certainty after the backing of landowners who control the 20 adjoining plots of land.

If the trial is successful, it could lead to a wider reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx in other parts of the UK such as the Scottish Highlands.

The reintroduction of lynx would bring a range of benefits; helping to control the UK's over-populated deer numbers, reducing damage to our wild spaces and improving habitat for wildlife in the process.

There is also an estimated tourism value of tens of millions of pounds for the local rural economy, based on similar reintroduction projects in Europe.

Wildwood Trust has extensive experience in the conservation and reintroduction of protected species and managing large carnivores. The Trust also works closely with Government regulators, such as Natural England and DEFRA, developing conservation licensing systems for a range of threatened species such as water voles, dormice, red squirrels and European beaver. The Trust has recently joined the Lynx UK Trust reintroduction team.

If the license is approved the six Lynx will be transported to the Wildwood Trust, near Canterbury for quarantine and veterinary assessments before being released. Experts at the Wildwood Trust will help unsure the safety and health of the animals, and will be involved in their recapture if needed.

Peter Smith, director of Wildwood Trust, said: “Our ecosystem desperately needs reintroductions like this; apex predators are critical for controlling species like deer which can overpopulate and cause serious damage to natural habitats. Lynx aren't the complete solution, but they're a keystone element in the construction of one. We're very happy to be making a big commitment of time, staff and resources to this project, and thoroughly believe the time is perfect for these shy animals to come back to the UK.”

Lynx have been successfully reintroduced in countries across Europe where they have proven themselves to be of no threat to humans anywhere they live. They present a very limited threat to sheep farmers, with the average Eurasian lynx killing just one sheep every two years.

Lynx UK Trust have already arranged insurance for every sheep in the UK against lynx attacks, backed by Lloyds Syndicate ARK Speciality Programs, a specialist division of Lloyds of London headed up by Richard Bryant.

He said: "I hope this insurance cover will provide sound financial security for the Trust so they will be able to generously compensate farmers if any of their sheep are injured or killed.

"Having assessed all the science and research on lynx predation we’re very confident that sheep attacks will be rare, so if our support can help make a trial reintroduction practical it’s a great opportunity for us to do something really positive."

Dr Paul O'Donoghue, the chief scientific advisor for the Lynx UK Trust, said: "There's a perceived threat to sheep which has come largely from baseless National Sheep Association scaremongering, the union has avoided every opportunity to engage with the project and seem to have no interest in their members benefitting from the extensive opportunities a reintroduction could bring.

"Lloyds will insure their sheep, farmers will have an incredible opportunity to diversify their businesses and benefit from the increased tourism into the area, and we've laid out a range of investments we want to make into predation mitigation. These would reduce attacks by any predator, including foxes and dogs.

"There is literally no evidence that lynx will have any significant negative effect on sheep farming, quite the opposite. We can't let completely unsubstantiated rhetoric take priority over scientific evidence, economic evidence and incredible public support, and I'm hugely excited to see that all of the Kielder region's major landowners have now confirmed their approval for what we hope to do."

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