Episode Overview

Podcast Title: Rewilding Earth Podcast
Episode: 160 – Europe’s Big Three: Wolves, Bears, Lynx. Part 3: Spain’s Missing Lynx Makes A Cautionary Comeback
Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Jack Humphrey
Guest Contributors: Julius Purcell (Narrator/Field Reporter), Maria Jesus Palacios (Biologist), Paul Jepson (Ecologist), Samuel Pla (CBD Habitat), Jordi Palau (Rewilding Spain), Pau Vasquez (Wolf/Bear Expert)

Main Theme:
This episode explores the extraordinary (and still precarious) recovery of the Iberian lynx in southern Spain—the world’s most endangered cat—delving into the 25-year cross-border conservation effort that brought the species back from the brink, and examining how political, cultural, and ecological challenges may shape its future. Host Jack Humphrey and field reporter Julius Purcell consider the lynx’s role in rural tradition, the delicate dance between farming and rewilding, and the mounting tension surrounding nature restoration efforts across Europe.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cultural Framing of Carnivores (00:00–01:16, 15:08–17:41)

• Lynx as Part of Southern Spanish Identity:
  Unlike Britain, where carnivores are often framed as threats to tradition, in southern Spain the Iberian lynx is woven into local tradition and identity.

  “The lynx doesn't stand in opposition to this tradition because it's seen as a distinctly southern Spanish animal. It's a part of that tradition.” ([00:46], Narrator)

• Cultural Acceptance Key to Success:
  The lynx appears in art, literature, and even on postal stamps, representing “hope of a better Spain” and Enlightenment values (Goya’s “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters”).

2. The Dramatic Decline and Recovery of the Iberian Lynx (02:20–07:09, 13:40–14:16)

• Near Extinction:
  Only 94 Iberian lynx remained in Spain by 2002. The species was the most endangered feline on earth.

  "By 2002, in the whole of Spain, there were only 94 Iberian links left." ([03:34], Maria Jesus Palacios)

• Conservation Coalition:
  EU-backed breeding and reintroduction projects blended genetics from isolated populations, restored rabbit populations (the lynx’s primary food source), and reconnected wilderness.

  “The plans worked… because politicians, landowners, mayors, farmers, hunters, many ordinary people came together out of love for the lynx.” ([04:31], Spanish Official via Narrator)

• Current Numbers and Hope:
  Today, over 2,000 individuals prowl the Iberian Peninsula, and in 2024 the IUCN upgraded the lynx from “endangered” to “vulnerable.”

3. Ecological Interdependence – Rabbits, Landscapes, and a “Mosaic” Approach (07:09–12:25)

• Rabbit-Driven Recovery:
  The lynx recovery hinged not just on lynx action, but chiefly on bringing back wild rabbits decimated by disease and habitat loss.

  “Only 15 to 20 percent of our work is with the cat itself. The rest is with the rabbits.” ([Samuel Pla summary at 09:45], via narrator)

• Landscape Refashioning:
  Creating, restoring, or maintaining “mosaic” landscapes, building warrens, managing grassland, and providing water sources for rabbits became central.

  “We created… a mosaic landscape for rabbits. And where the rabbit goes… the Iberian lynx goes too.” ([10:30], Narrator/Field Report)

• Cascading Benefits:
  Lynx indirectly benefit species like the Spanish imperial eagle by increasing rabbit carcasses for scavengers and enriching the broader ecosystem.

4. Political Shifts and Threats to Rewilding (04:56–06:45, 15:08–18:55, 24:59–29:28)

• Backlash Against Nature Restoration:
  Conservative and far-right populism in Europe has “rewilding in its sights.” Many politicians have retreated, and nature restoration faces new hostility, often grounded in misinformation.

  “Political populism has rewilding in its sights. Centrist politicians are panicking and giving way to this hostility, even though it’s often based on misinformation.” ([05:08], Narrator)

• Spain Not Immune:
  While local support in southern Spain remains strong (for now), malaise in rural communities–driven by climate stress, crime, migration, and distrust of urban elites—opens the door to “European style Trumpism,” which threatens conservation gains.
• Divergence Across Regions:
  Northern Spain sees more resistance, with failed reintroduction attempts amid landowner and farmer pushback.

5. Contrasts with the UK: Lynx, Culture Wars, and Obstacles to Rewilding (12:25–15:08)

• Clandestine Releases and Public Debate:
  Illegal lynx releases in Scotland sparked police investigations and political denouncement.
• Rewilding as Culture War:
  In the UK, rewilding is polarized (“nature conservationists seen as urban… farmers as the problem”), entwined with Brexit-fueled divisions and British risk aversion.

  “Rewilding came in as a controversial thing… Lack of comfort of living with wild animals. So long culturally since we’ve had any wild animals that could do any harm.” ([14:38], Paul Jepson)

• Spain’s Different Path:
  Spain’s success due to consensus and a lynx culture rooted in national identity, not in opposition to tradition.

6. The Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente Legacy (22:59–24:26)

• Nature’s Media Pioneer:
  Felix’s TV series “Man and the Earth” in the 1970s popularized wildlife appreciation under a dictatorship; his emotional storytelling changed perceptions of carnivores.

  "Us kids would be playing on the street and adults would call down, it's Felix on TV. …a voice that passed through you." ([23:08], Maria Jesus Palacios)

• Long-term Impact:

  “Those of us who were children then… were educated in the values that Felix gave us. It's one of his greatest legacies.” ([24:26], Maria Jesus Palacios)

7. The Lynx’s Expanding Range, Adaptation, and New Challenges (26:53–34:15)

• Potential for Range Expansion:
  Jordi Palau believes lynx could reach Catalonia “on their own, but they need time.”

  “If we don't reintroduce them actively, this will be a slow process.” ([27:03], Jordi Palau)

• New Social Pressures:
  As the species expands, social resistance grows. Three of four new proposed reintroduction sites outside the typical range have failed due to local opposition.

  “As the species is growing and expanding… the risk of a different perception will increase… This is starting to happen.” ([28:38], Jordi Palau)

• A Million-Year-Old Heritage and New Discoveries:
  Archaeologists recently found a 1-million-year-old lynx skeleton, underlining the deep roots and recent near-loss of this animal.
• Extraordinary Dispersal:
  Camera traps recovered lynx named “Secreto con El” in the Pyrenees, 650 miles from where he was born, possibly tracking new prey (mountain hares) and adapting to climate and habitat change.

  “It was an absolute surprise to detect an Ivory lynx on our cover… The joy after so many disappointments was immense.” ([31:07, 33:51], Pau Vasquez)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Lynx as Tradition:

  “The lynx doesn't stand in opposition to this tradition because it's seen as a distinctly southern Spanish animal. It's a part of that tradition.” ([00:46], Narrator)

• On the Emotional Triumph of Reintroduction:

  “Every time we release a lynx into the wild now, I feel I'm going to cry with emotion.” ([03:34], Maria Jesus Palacios)

• On Britain’s Cultural Divide:

  “That's the big difference between continental Europe and the UK. Rewilding just came in as a controversial thing. …It exposes quite a lot about British risk averseness and the lack of political vision and lack of comfort of living with wild animals.” ([14:38], Paul Jepson)

• On Felix’s Influence:

  “Those of us who were children then, are the adults of now… We acted on [Felix’s] values. It's one of his greatest legacies.” ([24:26], Maria Jesus Palacios)

• On the New Political Threats:

  “Nature conservation is starting to be seen as something that maybe is not as clearly good for everybody as all we usually thought.” ([27:38], Jordi Palau)

• The Joy of Scientific Discovery:

  “The joy after so many disappointments was immense.” ([33:51], Pau Vasquez)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–01:16: Cultural framing—lynx and southern Spanish identity
• 02:20–07:09: Iberian lynx’s natural history, decline, recovery efforts
• 07:09–12:25: Rabbit recovery and landscape management: ecological mosaic
• 12:25–15:08: Contrasts with the UK—illegal lynx release, culture wars
• 15:08–18:30: Rural Spain—political malaise and threats to rewilding
• 22:59–24:26: Felix Rodriguez de la Fuente legacy, cultural shift
• 26:53–29:28: Lynx in Catalonia, shifting social attitudes
• 30:33–34:15: Lynx dispersal into the Pyrenees, adaptability, emotional highlights from field biologists

Conclusion

This episode closes the “Big Three” carnivore series with the nuanced story of the Iberian lynx: a conservation triumph shadowed by new political winds and social tensions. The comeback is both celebration and warning—while “normals” like seeing wild animals among their olive groves, shifting attitudes and politics could yet unravel decades of work. The lynx’s persistence, adaptability, and symbolic legacy embody both the promise and fragility of Europe’s natural future.