Category: Програма за закрепнување на балнканскиот рис

New lynx is here! 12 February 2020 the lynx team of the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) box-trapped a new individual of the rare Balkan lynx in Bukovikj, near the town of Kichevo. Representatives from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Skopje and Sokol-Z Hunting Society from Zajas village assisted during lynx sedation and taking of measurements and samples of hair and blood. The procedure established that the lynx is a healthy female aged 2–3 years, weighing 15 kg.

This is the second radio-collared female (after Maja) to be monitored by radio-telemetry and GPS-tracking. It is crucial to broadening our knowledge about lynx distribution, and food and habitat needs. The lynx was camera-trapped last year on the same site. For the time being, the lynx is in good health, as seen from the locations using GPS-tracking, which revealed its first prey after the capture – roebuck kill from 4–5 days ago.

Our friends from Sokol-Z HS were given the honour of naming the lynx. They opted to name this beauty Narcisa. Narcisa, we wish you abundant prey and many offspring!

Ever since 2010, MES has captured and radio-collared a total of eight lynx individuals, providing valuable data about the behaviour of this secretive animal.

A kick-off meeting for the fifth phase of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme took place in Pejа, Kosovo in the beginning of October this year. The meeting was attended by the partners from MES, PPNEA, KORA, EuroNatur and was hosted by the NGO ERA Group from Kosovo. The partners discussed the achievements accomplished in the last three months since phase onset and the activities that need more attention to be carried out on time. The fifth phase represents a continuation of the fourth phase where many activates commenced and are being implemented. In this stage, MES will continue working on the education of schoolchildren in primary schools in the Mavrovo region and its surroundings, and also continue the work with the pilot hunting grounds from the western part of the country. The remaining strategies are focusing on research and monitoring of the Balkan lynx population, proclamation of Suvi Dol as a protected area, implementation of the Conservation Action Plan in Mavrovo National Park and working towards the improvement of the policy regarding the hunting and nature protection in Macedonia. During the visit, an excursion was organised to Rugova Gorge, Prokleitije Mts, where the team was introduced to the field activities of the colleagues from ERA.

Last week, 30 and 31 May 2019, we rounded off the educational activities for the schoolchildren of the primary schools in the Municipality of Mavrovo and Rostushe. Educational activities, implemented by representatives from the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) and Mavrovo National Park, began in March, with a series of lectures about the Balkan lynx. The third, final part of education included field activities, as part of their outdoor education. This presented an unusual opportunity for schoolchildren from the villages of Zhirovnica, Rostushe, Trebishte and Velebrdo to get familiar with the methodology and means of conducting research about the Balkan lynx. In that respect, together with first-to-fifth-grade schoolchildren we visited the local forest, followed wildlife trails, imitated wild animals to see the use of camera traps, and also used radio-telemetry to search for the “lynx” schoolchildren.

Lynx education represents part of the Education Strategy of the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme. The education package in primary schools had its inception ever since 2015, whereas so far a total of 1,500 schoolchildren have been included.

Another lynx got a GPS collar in Mavrovo National Park to track its movement. On 27 February, together with Park staff, we managed to collar this individual and now we are successfully tracking its movement. The lynx is a two-year old male weighing 19 kilograms.

–              After the Park’s employees called us about a chamois kill, we returned at the site and placed a foot snare. The lynx returned at the feeding site six hours later, whereas the whole procedure to take blood and measures lasted for about an hour, after which the lynx was released. On this occasion we had assistance from Miha Krofel, a lynx expert from Slovenia – stated Dime Melovski, managing MES Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.

It will be interesting to find out whether this lynx has not established its own territory yet. Such case will be helpful to determine which paths and corridors are used by lynx when establishing their home range. Hence, following the lynx’s whereabouts in the next few months will be of crucial importance.

On 26 December 2018, the Conservation Action Plan (CAP) for the Balkan Lynx was presented in the Mavrovo National Park (MNP), foreseeing systematic activities for the conservation of Balkan lynx in the MNP area. Activities are financially supported by the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme, implemented by the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) for twelve years now, and will be conducted in close cooperation with MNP until the end of 2020. The document was prepared and revised in the last five years in partnership with MES, MNP and other relevant stakeholders from the country and abroad.

–The main goal of the Action Plan is to give significant contribution to conserve the population of the critically endangered Balkan lynx. The CAP represents operative document specifying concrete activities and measures, also providing financial and time frames. The CAP pertains to the lynx population core area, currently within MNP, whereas planned activities include prey species monitoring, education, raising public awareness, establishing safe biocorridors for large mammals, transboundary cooperation, etc., stated Dime Melovski, MES Wildlife Programme Manager.

Current situation with the Balkan lynx in Macedonia remains worrisome. Latest estimation show that lynx population in its entire potential region in the Southwest Balkans amounts to 40 adult individuals. Such figures were acquired using direct counting of individuals within the core area in MNP and their further extrapolation for the remaining suitable habitats. The counting of individuals was done using the globally accepted method of camera-trapping in the years 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018. MNP and its surroundings host between 10 and 18 lynx, with average population density of 1.7 individuals per 100 km².  Its population size below 50 adult individuals earns the Balkan lynx the critically endangered (CR) status according to the criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and therefore, it has found its place on the IUCN Red List ever since 2015.

On 11 December 2018, a meeting took place on Shar Mountain in Kosovo among
representatives of the Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia and the Sharri National Park in Kosovo, organised by the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES).

The aim of this meeting was to present the work of MES regarding Balkan lynx conservation and the initial results from the monitoring of chamois in the Mavrovo National Park, conducted in cooperation with park employees.

Participants exchanged views about future transboundary cooperation between the two national parks, whereas also addressed were common problems pertaining to the decreasing number of livestock, transboundary utilisation of given resources, namely, game, pastures and blueberry, as specific challenges faced in both parks.

The meeting was organised as part of the activities of the Balkan Lynx Conservation Action
Plan in Mavrovo National Park, implemented by MES in partnership with Mavrovo National
Park.