Lynx Thuringia – Connecting lynx populations across Europe
Implementation period: June 2023 - August 2027
Project aim

As a consequence of human activities and actions, lynx populations in central and western Europe currently have an uneven and fragmented distribution, and their long-term survival is at risk due to the lack of gene flow between them.

Lynx Thuringia aims to connect the lynx populations in Central Europe by creating a stepping-stone population in the Thuringian Forest (Germany). This core population will be created by reintroducing 20 lynx individuals sourced from the wild (10) and from captivity (10).

Between June 2023 and August 2027, ACDB, in collaboration with RNP ROMSILVA, is implementing the project "Lynx Thuringia - Connecting lynx populations across Europe".

The project is coordinated by BUND Thüringen and is funded by the Thuringian Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Nature Conservation (TMUEN) through the ELER program (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability).

In Romania, ACDB and RNP ROMSILVA will implement two important actions for both the Central European lynx population and the Carpathian lynx population.

Capture and Translocation
A number of 10 lynxes will be captured in the Eastern Carpathians and translocated to the Thuringian Forest. The lynxes in Romania play an important role in ensuring the long-term survival of the Central European metapopulation, contributing to its genetic consolidation.
Monitoring
Through the simultaneous implementation of non-invasive monitoring techniques (camera-trapping, snow-tracking, genetic analysis, GPS collars), internationally recognized for their efficiency in monitoring elusive species, a standardized assessment of the lynx population will be carried out in the Eastern Romanian Carpathians, aiming to increase the quality of the estimates in this part of the Carpathian lynx population, as well as to carry out translocations under controlled conditions and ensure a minimal impact on the local lynx population.