Nearly three out of four people support the idea of reintroducing lynx to Kielder Forest in Northumberland, according to a lengthy consultation exercise carried out in the area by conservationists.
The Missing Lynx Project, which is exploring whether it would be feasible to reintroduce this native medium-sized cat to northern England, says new research has also shown that an area of north-west Northumberland, the edge of Cumbria and southern Scotland could support about 60 individual animals.
The consultation, which has seen 10,000 people visit its touring exhibition and included one-to-one interviews with stakeholders such as farmers, landowners, foresters and other community members, is ongoing.
“We now know that lynx could flourish here and that there’s broad support among people in the area to bring them back,” a spokesperson for The Missing Lynx says. “We hope to apply for a licence but only once we have a plan that’s collaboratively designed with local people which sets out measures that are acceptable, feasible and can be implemented.”
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Lynx are believed to have died out in England and Wales around 500AD, though evidence that was only properly assessed in 2021 suggests they may have clung on in Scotland until the mid-18th century.
Their main prey base would be roe deer, of which there are an estimated 500,000 in Great Britain (as well as numerous others, such as muntjac, that would also likely be targeted), though many farmers fear they would also take sheep.
How conservation managers deal with predation of domestic livestock will be a key issue to resolve before any reintroduction takes places. In the past, UK politicians have largely shown themselves to be unwilling to commit to such a radical move.
Michael Gove, when he was environment secretary, rejected a licence application to release six lynx into Kielder in 2018 (but this was not submitted by The Missing Lynx), and Thérèse Coffey (who was environment secretary for a short period in Rishi Sunak’s government) said she did not support the idea of bringing lynx back.
Nevertheless, governments here have consistently shown support for efforts to restore nature at scale within the UK, argues The Missing Lynx Project “and part of that involves bringing back lost species. We have national and international commitments to consider the restoration of missing native species, including lynx,” it adds.
Beside Kielder, other areas of Britain that could support self-sustaining lynx populations are Aberdeenshire and Galloway (both in Scotland), but numerous other parts such as the North York Moors, the Peak District, the New Forest and both South and North Wales were all felt not to be suitable.
Top image: Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx). Credit: Getty
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