Could the reintroduction of lynx soon be legalised in Scotland? The push for a Holyrood vote
The calls come after four lynx were illegally released in the Cairngorms at the beginning of the year.
Green MSPs will try and force a vote on legalising the reintroduction of lynx to Scotland.
The party says reintroducing lynx is a “crucial step” in restoring Scotland’s nature and biodiversity. The Greens will lodge an amendment to an upcoming Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill to try and get the move legalised.
This comes after four lynx were illegally released in the Cairngorms at the start of the year.
Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Greens’ rural affairs spokeswoman, will put forward the amendment to the Bill to reintroduce the species.
This Bill aims to set legally binding targets for nature restoration and change the way national parks are run, but it also looks at the management of wild deer.
“Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries on earth,” Ms Burgess said. “We desperately need to turn things around and reintroducing the lynx can help us do that.
“It is not simply about wanting these iconic wildcats back in our forests. It's the work they do for us in changing patterns of movement of their prey, allowing us to plant more trees in areas where deer are currently browsing.”
Research from the Lynx to Scotland project suggests the Highlands has sufficient habitat to support around 400 wild lynx. The wild cats were once native to Britain, but were driven to extinction 500 to 1,000 years ago through habitat loss and hunting.
Ms Burgess said: “Over the last few years, there have been very positive and constructive national conversations, including farmers, to highlight the many ecological benefits that lynx can bring and address concerns.
“Lynx are very shy, and likely to disappear into the forest before they would approach humans in the wild. Their behaviour is very different to other carnivorous animals.
“Our climate and nature efforts are interlinked and we can make Scotland nature-rich once again by taking these steps to bring iconic native species like lynx back into our great outdoors.”
At the National Farmers’ Union [NFU] Scotland conference in February, First Minister John Swinney explicitly ruled out the legal reintroduction of lynx.
His comments came shortly after the illegal release of four lynx in the Cairngorms National Park in January.
The cats were captured in pairs in the Dell of Killiehuntly area and taken to the nearby Highland Wildlife Park before being transferred to Edinburgh Zoo.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland later confirmed one of the lynx had died due to the “extremely harsh” environment.
At the time, Mr Swinney said: “Let me be very clear, the recent illegal release of four lynx was both reckless and posed a serious risk to the welfare of those animals released.
“My government will not be reintroducing lynx, or indeed any other large carnivorous species in Scotland.”
Mr Swinney pointed out to the conference the introduction of other species, such as white-tailed sea eagles, had led to "unintended consequences".
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We recognise that reintroductions of native species can play in nature restoration but any proposed reintroduction would require significant consultation, ensuring the views of those who would be most affected by any species reintroduction are fully taken into account.
“While we do not intend to reintroduce lynx or any other large carnivorous species into Scotland, because of the potential for negative impacts on farms and rural communities, we support the targeted reintroduction of beaver populations where appropriate.
“We want to make sure that where translocations take place, measures are put in place to ensure rural people and beavers are able to thrive.”
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