Assessing Great Britain as a relocation site for the threatened Iberian Lynx in a changing climate
(2024) In Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science GISM01 20242Dept of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science
- Abstract
- The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) faces imminent endangerment due to climate change resulting in the declining population of its primary prey, the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). With ongoing environmental shifts, this threat intensifies, heightening the risk of extinction for the species. The aim of this study was to explore a potential conservation strategy; the possibility of relocating Iberian Lynx to Great Britain was assessed. Utilizing species distribution modeling, lynx distribution was assessed and modeled over the extent of the Iberian Peninsula. Subsequently, the model was extrapolated to Great Britain as well as to future climate change scenarios in both study sites. While the model assessment revealed high accuracies,... (More)
- The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) faces imminent endangerment due to climate change resulting in the declining population of its primary prey, the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). With ongoing environmental shifts, this threat intensifies, heightening the risk of extinction for the species. The aim of this study was to explore a potential conservation strategy; the possibility of relocating Iberian Lynx to Great Britain was assessed. Utilizing species distribution modeling, lynx distribution was assessed and modeled over the extent of the Iberian Peninsula. Subsequently, the model was extrapolated to Great Britain as well as to future climate change scenarios in both study sites. While the model assessment revealed high accuracies, it indicated low occurrence probabilities for Great Britain. As the model lacked evidence of the lynx's dependence on the European Rabbit due to the broad modeling extent, it comprised mainly climatic variables as predictors. Consequently, Great Britain appeared unsuitable for relocation, given its climatic disparity between it and the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, projected future climatic conditions on the Iberian Peninsula are projected to exceed the current climatic conditions related to lynx distribution in large areas by 2100 indicating a heightened risk to the species. Thus, while relocation to Great Britain would demand more detailed and geographically narrower analysis, exploring sustainable alternative conservation measures outside of the Iberian Peninsula remains crucial to ensure Iberian Lynx survival against upcoming environmental challenges. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9177400
- author
- Börmann, Anna LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- GISM01 20242
- year
- 2024
- type
- H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
- subject
- keywords
- Geography, GIS+, Iberian Lynx, Species relocation, Species Distribution Modeling, Climate Change
- publication/series
- Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science
- report number
- 182
- language
- English
- additional info
- External supervisor: Thomas A. Groen, University of Twente
- id
- 9177400
- date added to LUP
- 2024-11-05 11:54:46
- date last changed
- 2024-11-05 11:54:46
@misc{9177400, abstract = {{The Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus) faces imminent endangerment due to climate change resulting in the declining population of its primary prey, the European Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). With ongoing environmental shifts, this threat intensifies, heightening the risk of extinction for the species. The aim of this study was to explore a potential conservation strategy; the possibility of relocating Iberian Lynx to Great Britain was assessed. Utilizing species distribution modeling, lynx distribution was assessed and modeled over the extent of the Iberian Peninsula. Subsequently, the model was extrapolated to Great Britain as well as to future climate change scenarios in both study sites. While the model assessment revealed high accuracies, it indicated low occurrence probabilities for Great Britain. As the model lacked evidence of the lynx's dependence on the European Rabbit due to the broad modeling extent, it comprised mainly climatic variables as predictors. Consequently, Great Britain appeared unsuitable for relocation, given its climatic disparity between it and the Iberian Peninsula. Moreover, projected future climatic conditions on the Iberian Peninsula are projected to exceed the current climatic conditions related to lynx distribution in large areas by 2100 indicating a heightened risk to the species. Thus, while relocation to Great Britain would demand more detailed and geographically narrower analysis, exploring sustainable alternative conservation measures outside of the Iberian Peninsula remains crucial to ensure Iberian Lynx survival against upcoming environmental challenges.}}, author = {{Börmann, Anna}}, language = {{eng}}, note = {{Student Paper}}, series = {{Master Thesis in Geographical Information Science}}, title = {{Assessing Great Britain as a relocation site for the threatened Iberian Lynx in a changing climate}}, year = {{2024}}, }