Evaluating radical conservation futures: strategies for assessing the potential for Eurasian lynx in the Benelux countries

Tolerance of anthropic environment has allowed large carnivores to
recolonize and to be reintroduced within Europe in the last forty
years. This indicates that, even in areas where the return of large
carnivores seems unlikely, their presence and establishment is
possible, even in highly modified environments. In the current context
of the return of large carnivores in Europe, there is a need for
scientific conservation tools to assess the full potential and
consequences of the return of large carnivores in Europe, and in
particular to evaluate potential impact on game and livestock. Today,
the return of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) in areas where it has been
absent for long periods is becoming increasingly probable, and this
requires further investigations. Three main lines of research will be
particularly important: the use of habitat by Eurasian Lynx, the effect
of habitat on predation behavior, and potential sources of conflict with
human populations. The research project will address fine scale
habitat use, the effect of prey‘s spatial variation on Lynx predation
behavior, the use of different statistical methods to estimate Lynx‘s viability in various habitats and landscape, and a review of current
conflicts throughout Europe. Results should allow better
understanding of the Lynx redeployment potentials in lowland
Western Europe