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Abstract
In reintroduction projects, an analysis of dispersal, exploratory movements and territorial behavior of the species concerned offers valuable information on the adaptive management of threatened species and provides a basis for the management of future reintroductions. This is the case of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) an endemic and endangered species reintroduced in Extremadura (Spain) in 2014. We analysed spatial data from 32 individuals just after their reintroduction. Our findings show exploratory movements sufficient to colonise and connect population nuclei within a radius of about 50 km of the reintroduction area. No significant differences were found in the exploratory movements capacity or in any directionality of males and females. Our results showed an effect of sex on the sizes of the territories established, as well as an inverse relationship between them and the time elapsed since release. No effects of rabbit abundance and lynx density on the size of territories are occurring during the early stages of reintroduction. On average, the territories of reintroduced individuals were less stable than those previously described in natural populations. Findings indicate that the reintroduced population has successfully been established but it takes more than 5 years to stabilize the territories in the area. Exploratory movements of reintroduced lynx can be large and in any direction, even when there is still a lot of high quality habitat available, which should be taken into account when reintroducing species, especially terrestrial carnivores.
Highlights
In reintroduction projects, an analysis of dispersal, exploratory movements and territorial behavior of the species concerned offers valuable information on the adaptive management of threatened species and provides a basis for the management of future reintroductions
GPS collars were attached to three reintroduced individuals re-tagged during the exploratory period or when they were settled in remote areas on the very margins of the area covered by VHF telemetry
The animal died during the exploratory movement (M02 was poisoned and M03 and M16 were hit by vehicles)
Summary
An analysis of dispersal, exploratory movements and territorial behavior of the species concerned offers valuable information on the adaptive management of threatened species and provides a basis for the management of future reintroductions This is the case of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) an endemic and endangered species reintroduced in Extremadura (Spain) in 2014. Iberian lynx reintroductions have been carried out on the last years on Portugal, Extremadura, Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha following the IUCN recommendations for reintroductions, with a high degree of s uccess[22,23] These initiatives provide the opportunity to study the reintroduced animals’ use of space, and exploratory and dispersal behavior in new environments with no previous settled population. Dispersal parameters may differ between p opulations[30], and movement patterns of reintroduced individuals differ from those observed in natural populations[31,32] which may have important management implications[33]
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