Project to save the lynx from extinction wins two Life awards

Ljubljana/Brussels – The Life Lynx project, whose main goal is to save the Dinaric and southeastern Alpine population of lynx from extinction, has received two Life 2025 awards in Brussels. The expert committee awarded it as the best in Europe in the category of nature conservation and biodiversity, and at the opening of the European Green Week, the project also won the audience award.

The commission, which has been awarding prizes for 19 consecutive years, recognizes the most innovative, inspiring, and effective Life projects in three categories: nature conservation and biodiversity, environment, and climate action, as explained by the Forest Service of Slovenia.

The awards were accepted in Brussels by the director of the Forest Service Gregor Danev and the coordinator of the Life Lynx project Rok Černe. “This is a confirmation of the work and efforts of all partners in the project to preserve healthy forests, in which lynx are an indispensable part,” Danev summarized in a press release.

Černe added that the project would not have been possible without the historical efforts of hunters and foresters, who reintroduced the lynx in 1973 after this species had been exterminated in our region. “This conservation story began back then, so the award is recognition for all who have contributed in any way to this important conservation success,” he emphasized.

In the seven years of the project, 18 lynx have been relocated to Slovenia and Croatia, and by the end of last year, more than 50 of their offspring were recorded. In the Slovenian Alps, they established a connecting population with the relocated lynx, which is the first step towards the long-term preservation of lynx in this part of Europe, they added.

According to the service, the award comes at the right time, as we celebrate International Lynx Day on June 11. We have been commemorating it since 2018 at the initiative of the 3Lynx project, as lynx are endangered in much of Europe and would struggle to survive without human assistance. (June 4)