Therefore, the Czech Ministry of the Environment, in cooperation with other partners from six European countries, launched the 3Lynx project. It sets up a way of tracking and protecting a feature in three European populations and prepares an international strategy for its protection.
The 3Lynx project focuses on three European feature populations: the Czech-Bavarian-Austrian population and the population of the Alps and the Dinar karst. All three have a similar history - after the extinction of the rys at the turn of the 19th and 20th century, the ryss were once again returned in the 70s and 80s. Today, in each of these areas, there is a single, though small, population. "But much more must be done to ensure their long-term survival - to join forces to halt illegal hunting, to reduce the fragmentation of the countryside, and to try to remedy its dismal situation, to ensure better cooperation and communication between all the major actors, including the countries with which the population is moving" Says Jan Šíma, director of the species protection department and implementation of the international commitments of the Ministry of the Environment.
The 3Lynx project will take place in two steps. First, it sets coordinated tracking of features across the entire population area, with each country matching access to data collection and sharing. Subsequently, a transnational strategy will be prepared to tackle this type of conservation. The project will also include activities aimed at informing the public, involving the main stakeholders such as foresters and hunters and others.
"They do not know the boundaries. The young can be born in Bohemia, then in search of a new home to roam in Austria and eventually settle in Germany. It is therefore vital that we share information and approaches across borders with our neighbors to be able to effectively protect this species, " says Jan Šíma.
"Traceability of traits to such an extent is demanding in terms of coordination, so hunters and foresters who have a detailed overview of what is happening in their territories are involved," says Tereza Mináriková of Alka Wildlife, one of the professional organizations involved in "At the same time, it should make it easier for conservationists to communicate with them and also increase their interest in the feature as a natural part of forest ecosystems. Fundamentals for this collaboration have already been put forward during the Trans-Lynx project, but only to Bohemia and Bavaria, " says Tereza Mináriková.
The 3Lynx project will run for 3 years and is funded by Interreg Central Europe since July. It is attended by 11 partners from 5 countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia). Both the state authorities (MoE, Šumava National Park, the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, the Bavarian Environmental Protection Agency, the Upper Austrian Government, Slovenia Forest Service) and the Scientific Institutes (Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine) participate in it. On a marginal basis, thanks to the long-term cooperation with the Slovene, the University of Zagreb also takes part. Non-governmental organizations like Alka Wildlife, WWF Germany, Italian Lynx Project, Green Heart of Europe are also important partners.
Rys ostrovid - European tiger
Source: Ekolist.cz