WILD RABBIT MANAGEMENT IN THE IBERIAN PENINSULA: STATE OF THE ART AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES FOR IBERIAN LYNX CONSERVATION

The Iberian lynx is the most endangered cat in the world. At present, this felid is only found in Mediterranean forests and scrublands of southern Spain, restricted to two populations, Donana and eastern Sierra Morena. However, these two isolated populations alone are not sufficient to support this emblematic species in the long-term. Natural expansion from these populations is limited which turns Iberian lynx reintroduction programs into the only alternative to save the species from extinction. Therefore, one of the priorities of lynx reintroduction programs is inevitably the spatial expansion of wild rabbit populations, it main prey, by boosting its numbers. In this paper we briefly review historical and recent wild rabbit population trends and provide management guidelines to promote the efficiency of conservation planning in the context of future Iberian lynx reintroductions.