Regional Strategy for Balkan Lynx Conservation adopted at the CMS COP15

Joint efforts to strengthen conservation measures for the Balkan lynx are bearing fruit. At the CMS COP15, a new strategy for the conservation of the Balkan lynx has been presented and officially endorsed: the Range-wide Strategy for the Rescue and Conservation of the Balkan Lynx Lynx lynx balcanicus 2026−2035. 

During a side event organised by the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning of the Republic of North Macedonia on the 24th of March, lynx experts and key partners came together to discuss key conservation measures with a focus on transboundary cooperation. The Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme played a crucial role co-leading this initiative and will be one of the organisms contributing to its implementation in the coming years. The Regional Strategy, which was later officially endorsed by the CMS on the 27th of March outlines a coordinated, long-term approach, prioritising habitat protection, reconnecting forest areas, and improving genetic diversity to reduce extinction risk. As the species spans multiple countries, its regional scope is essential and requires joint action beyond national borders.

Conservationists have welcomed the strategy but emphasise that its success depends on effective implementation, requiring sustained resources and collaboration. The coming years will be crucial for the survival of the Balkan lynx.

The strategy was developed by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)/ Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, the Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme, and national authorities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, as well as Greece and Bulgaria.