14 DAY TRIAL // Over the past few years, conservationists have spent a whopping €100 million ($131.3 million) on green-oriented projects intended to keep the Iberian lynx from going extinct.
Despite their efforts, word has it that the species will disappear in less than 50 years. This is because conservationists have failed to keep tabs on one very important phenomenon: climate change.
Scientists explain that, since the new global weather patterns are transforming these animals' natural habitats, it's impossible to save the species from extinction without accounting for climate change.
“Our models show that the anticipated climate change will lead to a rapid and dramatic decline of the Iberian lynx and probably eradicate the species within 50 years, in spite of the present-day conservation efforts.”
“The only two populations currently present, will not be able to spread out or adapt to the changes in time,” argued researcher Miguel Araújo of the University of Copenhagen.
The good news is that the fight to safeguard this endangered species is not yet entirely lost. As long as conservationists start paying closer attention to climate change, the Iberian lynx might stick around for many years to come.
“Fortunately, it is not too late to improve the outlook for the endangered lynx, if the management plans begin to take account of climate change,” Miguel Araújo stressed.