'Bring back lynx to Scottish countryside'

Scottish Wildlife Trust chief executive calls for return of once native Eurasian lynx to countryside, despite fears from farmers

By Agency

1:00PM GMT 29 Dec 2014

Lynx should be reintroduced in the Scottish countryside, according to one of the country's leading conservation bodies.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust would like to see the return of the once native Eurasian lynx, even though farmers have expressed fears.

It is thought the lynx became extinct in the UK in the medieval period, caused by hunting and loss of habitat due to the intensification of farming practices.

But Jonny Hughes, the trust's chief executive, said during a debate on the BBC's World at One that the charity believes there is both a moral and ecological case for reintroduction of species that have been made extinct in Scotland due to habitat loss and persecution.

He maintained that reintroducing top-level predators such as the lynx would help restore the balance in Scotland's natural ecosystems, which continue to decline in the face of widespread threats, such as overgrazing and inappropriate development.

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