Releasing just 20 lynx in Northumberland would be enough to create a healthy wild population, research has found, and most people in the area would support the practice. The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, modelled the viability of reintroducing the wild cats, which became extinct in Britain about 1,300 years ago due to hunting and habitat loss.
According to the research, a release of 20 lynx over several years into the Kielder Forest area would, over time, create a population of about 50 animals covering north-west Northumberland, the edge of Cumbria and bordering areas of southern Scotland. The researchers said this was the only area in England and Wales with sufficient woodland for lynx to thrive.
Conservationists supporting the reintroduction argue it could bring benefits such as controlling deer populations that damage woodlands by eating bark. The shy animals, slightly smaller than a labrador, prefer large areas of dense woodland. Successful reintroductions have occurred in several European countries, including Germany, Switzerland and France.
A year-long consultation by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust found that 72% of people within the project area supported the reintroduction. The group also engaged with farmers, some of whom were concerned about potential predation on sheep. Lauren Harrison, a sheep farmer in Cumbria, said after visiting European sites: “I saw in Europe that it’s possible to live alongside lynx. The risks to livestock can be minimal and there are so many positives.”
Dr Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery at the Wildlife Trusts, said: “Bringing back lynx could benefit wildlife more widely, something that is sorely needed in this nature-depleted country.” Any release would require government approval.
