Vienna, 1. Mai 2018
Austria, the Czech Republic and Bavaria (Germany) signed an agreement in the summer of 2017 in which long-term cooperation in the monitoring and management of the Bohemian-Bavarian-Austrian (BBA) population of the Eurasian lynx was decided. The results of lynx monitoring according to systematic and standardized standards will enable a reliable assessment of the conservation status of the species and thus the subsequent planning and implementation of necessary measures for sustainable protection of the Eurasian lynx over its range. The application of the complex monitoring strategy opens opportunities to obtain improved insights and information on behavior and land use (ange) of each individual animal within the population. Management efforts will also apply to the south-eastern and dinaric lynx populations in Italy and Slovenia - these countries are also project partners.
On May 1, a new "lynx year" begins, which lasts from 1 May to 30 April of the following year, i.e. the period of the birth of the young lynx until weaning by the mother in the following year of the renewed fertile period in February / March. This period allows a meaningful assessment and approximate assessment of the entire lynx occurrence. It is possible at the beginning of the "lynx year" to observe females with young animals who become independent at the end of the lynx year and migrate. Subsequently, both the population growth and the total number of individual animals can be reliably assessed in February / March of the following year.
Identification of individuals through photographs
Lynxes are usually well distinguishable due to their unique, individually different coat patterns. Thus it is possible to make statements on habitat use and migration / dispersion of the individual animals by regular evaluation of the individuals captured by camera traps. Furthermore, it is possible to analyzed which individuals presumably bred together, or which ones are likely to have gone missing. "Being able to identify individual lynxes on camera-trap photos gives us the opportunity to get more information about this secretive and elusive species and its ecology. In other large predators, such as Bears or wolves, that's not so easy, "says Simona Poláková from the Czech Ministry of the Environment, which has taken the lead in the 3Lynx project. On the other hand, the individual identification of lynxes on the basis of photos requires a great deal of time for the macroscopic analysis of the images.
Core and migration areas of the "3Lynx" animals
The BBA population migrates and occupies areas between the Bohemian Forest in the Czech Republic, Fichtelgebirge, Upper Palatinate and Bavarian Forest in Germany, as well as the Austrian part of the Bohemian Forest, or in the area of Stern- und Freiwald (Upper Austria). The national parks Šumava and Bavarian Forest form the core area of the lynx occurrence: an estimated 60 to 80 lynx live there. Previous research has shown that it is rare for an animal to spend its entire life span in a single country, rather the species moves across geographic and political boundaries. For a reliable stocktaking, it is therefore necessary to obtain complete information from the entire distribution area of the population in order to be able to track migrations of individual animals effectively and transparently.
For example, lynx Luděk was born in the vicinity of Prachatice and Boletice (CZ), later migrated to Linz in the Austrian distribution area of the population and today lives in a territory in the Novohradské Hory area in the Czech Republic. Within the 3Lynx project, a team of biologists, ecologists and stakeholders, such as foresters and hunters who are active across the population's range, will place photo traps in suitable locations and structures that are frequented or potentially exploitable by the lynx. In addition, the participating project partners are working on an online database that provides for data exchange and sharing of the verification data (camera-trap photos, as well as direct and indirect evidence of presence such as lynx found dead, remains of killed prey, or hair samples, feces and tracks/footprints).
Subsequently, individuals can be independently and quickly identified based on the evidence gathered centrally in the database, and data analysis can be simplified and accelerated. This enhances the ability to more efficiently monitor land use, walking and social behavior (e.g., in terms of reproduction) of the detected lynx. The subsequent data analysis allows inferences and provides information on the entire population. On the basis of genetic analysis of hair and faeces samples it is also possible to determine relationships and genetic variability within the population.
Crossing borders
"International cooperation is essential for the protection of large carnivores in Europe. In the case of the planned and already implemented monitoring and data exchange on the Bohemian-Bavarian-Austrian lynx population, an agreement was signed by the Czech Ministry of the Environment, the Government of Upper Austria and the Bavarian State Office for the Environment, and the Nature Conservation Authority of the Czech Republic, Šumava National Park Authority , the Federal Environment Agency and the non-governmental organizations Alka Wildlife as well as the Green Heart of Europe as specialist specialists involved in the monitoring. They all participate actively in the efforts to protect the Bohemian-Bavarian-Austrian lynx population in the long term, "says Jan Šíma, Director of the Department of Species Protection of the Czech Ministry of the Environment.
In the 3Lynx project, the monitoring activities within the three countries are co-financed by the INTERREG Central Europe programme, with a total project budget of EUR 2,318,783. Eleven partners from 5 countries (Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia) are participating in the project, including state authorities (Czech Ministry of Environment, NP Sumava, Nature Conservation Authority of the Czech Republic, State Office for the Environment Bavaria, Provincial Government of Upper Austria, Forestry Authority Slovenia ), scientific institutions (Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology/Vienna University of Veterinary Medicine) and non-governmental organizations (Alka Wildlife (CZ), WWF Germany (DE), Progetto Lince Italia (IT), Green Heart Europe (AT)). In addition, due to the long-term cooperation with Slovenia, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Zagreb will be a related partner in the 3Lynx project.
