Study to investigate views on returning lynx to Scotland

A study to assess people’s views about the possible reintroduction of Eurasian lynx to Scotland is being launched by a group of charities.

The project’s partners said ecological research has shown that extensive areas of Scotland could support lynx, while the animals could bring environmental benefits and help with managing deer populations.

A new partnership of the charities Scotland: The Big Picture, Trees for Life and Vincent Wildlife Trust is launching a year-long Lynx to Scotland consultation to assess public and stakeholder attitudes around the idea of lynx reintroduction, including in rural communities.

The charities said returning the shy and elusive animal to Scotland is less about science and more about people’s willingness to live alongside the species.

Jenny MacPherson, science and research programme manager with the Vincent Wildlife Trust, which will lead the study, said: “Reintroducing lynx would inevitably bring challenges.

By preying on roe deer, lynx would restore ecological processes that have been missing for centuries, and provide a free and efficient deer management service

“Lynx to Scotland will actively include stakeholders representing the full range of perspectives, in order to produce meaningful conclusions about the level of support or tolerance for lynx, and therefore the likely success of any future reintroduction.”

The Eurasian lynx is native to the UK but was driven to extinction some 500 to 1,000 years ago through hunting and habitat loss.

Lynx are now expanding in range and numbers across mainland Europe following changes in hunting laws and a softening in public attitudes towards large predators.

Partners in the project said that reintroducing lynx to the Scottish Highlands could bring ecological benefits.

Peter Cairns, executive director of Scotland: The Big Picture, said: “With a global biodiversity crisis, we have a responsibility to have open and constructive conversations around restoring key native species to the Scottish landscape – and science shows that apex predators like lynx play a vital ecological role in maintaining healthy living systems.”

Research suggests the Highlands has sufficient habitat – and more than enough roe deer, the animal’s preferred prey – to support about 400 wild lynx.

The charities said that as a shy and solitary woodland hunter, lynx are rarely glimpsed and attacks on humans are virtually unknown.

Steve Micklewright, chief executive of Trees for Life, said: “Scotland has more woodland deer than any other European country, and their relentless browsing often prevents the expansion and healthy regeneration of our natural woodlands.

“By preying on roe deer, lynx would restore ecological processes that have been missing for centuries, and provide a free and efficient deer management service.”