Greens welcome call for Lynx reintroduction
Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess has welcomed a new campaign by the Lynx to Scotland partnership urging people to have their say on the potential reintroduction of the iconic species to the Highlands.
Ariane moved amendments to the Scottish Government's upcoming Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill that would have supported reintroduction, but they were not backed by the government.
Reintroducing lynx could boost biodiversity by reducing the impacts of deer browsing on woodland. Research from the Lynx to Scotland project suggests the Highlands has sufficient habitat to over time support around 400 wild lynx.
Ariane said:
“This is a really important campaign and I will be encouraging my constituents to take part and to support it.
“Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth. If we are to turn things around it will need action. Reintroducing the Lynx can be an important step on that journey.
“These iconic wildcats are wonderful, but they also do a lot of vital work in changing patterns of movement of their prey, allowing us to plant more trees in areas where deer are currently browsing.
“Campaigns like this are really important in addressing concerns that people may have.
“Lynx are very shy animals, and are far more likely to move away from people rather than approaching them.
“Ministers still have time to back my amendments to reintroduce the lynx. Campaigns like this are crucial to building support.
“Over the last few years there have been very positive and constructive national conversations with stakeholders to address concerns and highlight the many ecological benefits that lynx can bring. I hope that this campaign will build on this.
“The climate and nature emergencies are interlinked. By working together we can restore our world-renowned nature and take steps to bring native species like Lynx back into our great outdoors.”