Research overview: Eurasian lynx recolonization and reintroduction in Europe

The return of the Eurasian lynx to parts of western and central Europe, through both natural recolonization and deliberate reintroduction, is a notable conservation story, and this overview reviews it. Reintroduction projects in the Alps, the Jura, the Dinarides, and elsewhere re-established populations from which animals have spread, while source populations in the Carpathians and beyond have expanded. Studies track genetic diversity, connectivity, mortality from poaching and roads, and public acceptance as central to success. The work shows that recovering a large carnivore in a crowded, human-dominated continent is feasible but fragile, dependent on linking small populations and sustaining social tolerance. These lessons inform large-carnivore restoration efforts well beyond the lynx itself.