Expert speaks out on Scotland's reluctance to reintroduce lynx

Rok Černe is a project manager with the Slovenian Forest Service and coordinates the LIFE Lynx project, which has seen the translocation of lynx into Slovenia and Croatia with the aim of creating a sustainable population. 

Speaking to The National, he explained why the reintroduction of lynx in Slovenia garnered far less controversy than proposals to do the same in Scotland.

The successful reintroduction of lynx to Slovenia

“Lynx were exterminated from Slovenia at the end of the 19th century,” said Černe.

“Then back in 1973, some progressive-minded hunters and foresters brought them back.

“They released three pairs — three males and three females — and this was a really successful reintroduction where animals spread from Slovenia into Croatia and also to Italy.

“But after about 30 years some problems started to occur. The population was dropping and they were being hunted.

“However, once the hunting stopped completely the population still wasn’t growing.

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“So, some genetic research was done and it was made clear that inbreeding was the key problem for our population which, in Slovenia in 2019, was just 20 individuals.”

Following the inbreeding revelation in 2019, a national plan to boost lynx numbers was drawn up, with the Slovenian government’s nature conservation unit working alongside hunters, universities and the forest service.

The plan was quickly adopted and the LIFE Lynx project was born.

Lynx went extinct in Scotland around 1300 years ago due to habitat loss and huntingMore than half the funding for the project came from the European Commission, with the rest coming from the Slovenian government and partner agencies involved.

They began to translocate lynx from Romania and Slovakia into Slovenia and Croatia, with the hope the population would eventually spread into Italy.

“Conservation is a joint effort in this part of Europe,” said Černe.

‘No damage to sheep’

Farmers have been some of the most vocal opponents to the proposed reintroduction of lynx in Scotland.

In June, the chief executive of the National Sheep Association, Phil Stocker, said reintroducing the species would damage the mental health of farmers.

“As sheep farmers we will be far more directly affected than most and we have a duty and a right to express our views,” he said.

“The potential impact is wide and far reaching, including the stress placed on farmers knowing that an apex predator is in the vicinity – we know the effect that domestic dogs attacking sheep has on farmer anxiety levels and the repulsion these attacks are met with by the public.

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“Why it would be OK for a sheep to be attacked by a lynx instead is irrational.”

However, farmers in Slovenia were broadly supportive of the reintroduction of lynx — in part, because they are familiar with natural threats to their livestock.

“The difference between Slovenia and Scotland is that we have about 1000 bears and packs of wolves,” said Černe.

“Lynx are practically doing no damage to sheep, it’s about one animal per year.

“So, the conflict is not between the farmers and lynx because lynx are not doing any damage.

“These are farmers who have learned to deal with wolves and bears. Without those two species, it might be different.

“But our farmers need to protect their property from bears and wolves. When they do that, lynx are also unable to cause much damage.

“I think this is why we don’t have any negative reactions from farmers.”

The power of education

The LIFE Lynx project has seen the translocation of almost 20 lynx to Slovenia and Croatia, with each animal’s name, picture and history detailed on their website.

While the project enjoyed widespread public support from the beginning, Černe said educating people had been key to keeping everyone happy.

“In the past in Slovenia we eradicated wild boar, we eradicated red deer,” he said.

“But we brought these species back because we as a society reached a common understanding that the eradication of species is not a good thing to do.”

Part of that education involved the usual outreach efforts beloved of charities, such as leafletting and consultations.

There is concern that lynx reintroduction would negatively impact sheep farmers in Scotland (Image: Jon Glittenberg/Wikipedia Creative Commons) But Černe added that involving locals in the physical work of conservation was the greatest tool for fostering enthusiasm.

“Our most important tool was involving locals in our world,” he said.

“They were involved in building enclosures, in monitoring cameras, and throughout that process gained knowledge about the species.

“In turn, they became our best messengers.”

Are we emotionally against reintroducing predators?

The nature of land ownership in Scotland certainly complicates the ethics of predator reintroduction.

A wealthy landowner taking it upon himself to bring back a species is, understandably, often greeted with suspicion by locals.

Yet even without such obstacles, our sheer unfamiliarity with anything capable of killing a deer other than ourselves leads to apprehension.

“Humans are emotionally against large carnivores,” said Černe.

“I guess this comes from evolution because in the past we were in competition with them. That’s why it’s in our blood, it’s in our emotions.

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“But when we go to the facts, there are many things that are much more dangerous than large carnivores in our environment.

“For example, if we drive on a road and we know in the last year five people died on that road, we drive on that road and we don’t even think about it.

“But if we walk through an area where a bear attacked somebody ten years ago, we would be scared.

“I think this example shows how emotional this topic is. It’s not based on facts but is based on emotions, which we all have.

“It’s why communicating the facts to people is so important.”

Lynx reintroduction has been teased by rewilding proponents in Scotland for more than a decade, now.

But without widespread support in rural communities and a certain amount of political bravery, it’s likely to remain a pipedream.

Initiatives such as The Missing Lynx exhibition, which toured parts of the Borders earlier this year, and organisations such as Scotland: The Big Picture go some way towards overcoming these obstacles.

But if Slovenia shows Scotland anything, it’s that educating and involving those with the most to lose — be they farmers, gamekeepers or hillwalkers — could be the most fruitful route for anyone who wants to see lynx return to our forests.