The Iberian Lynx Comeback
Spain and Portugal brought the Iberian lynx back from the edge: the 2025 census counted 2,663, almost double 2021 (MITECO).
Image: Diego Delso via Wikimedia Commons (Iberian lynx, Almuradiel, 2021, CC BY-SA 4.0).
Last reviewed: 1 source cited
From fewer than 100 cats to more than 2,600 in about 25 years.
The Iberian lynx went from fewer than 100 counted in 2002 to 2,663 in 2025 (MITECO census).
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
Explain Like I'm 10
- The Iberian lynx is a wild cat that lives only in Spain and Portugal.
- By 2002 there were fewer than 100 left.
- Breeding, releases and protection helped, and now there are more than 2,600.
The Five W's of the lynx recovery
Who
Spain's Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO), the Spanish regions and Portugal's ICNF.
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
What
Coordinated conservation and yearly census of the lynx in Spain and Portugal.
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
When
About 25 years of coordinated programmes; the 2025 census was published in June 2026.
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
Where
26 areas in Spain and Portugal, led by Castilla-La Mancha with 1,051 lynx and Andalusia with 885.
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
Why
The species, found only on the Iberian Peninsula, had nearly disappeared.
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
Connected Solutions
- Rewilding Europe Bringing wild nature back across Europe.
Impact Statement
Government solution · active
The 2025 count of 2,663 was up 10.9% on 2024 and about 95% on 2021 (MITECO figures).
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
For Further Information: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
In 2025, 952 lynx kittens were born, from 542 breeding or territorial females (MITECO).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Lynx are returning to new regions, including Castilla y León with a reintroduction project (MITECO).
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
For Nature
Breeding females are getting closer to 750, the milestone for a favourable conservation status (MITECO).
Source: MITECO, Iberian lynx population reached 2,663 in 2025 (June 2026)
Learn More About the Iberian Lynx
Want to go deeper? MITECO publishes the census.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
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