As the lead advocates and drivers in the campaign to bring the lynx back to the UK, we welcome support from others on the subject. However, we are cautious that in doing so, we don’t want the issue to regress.
When we hear other parties boast that they’re “starting the conversation” around reintroducing the lynx, it’s a reg flag for us. This is not a NEW conversation, this conversation has been ongoing for 30 years. To presume it’s just getting started means retreading old ground, asking the same questions to the same people and hoping for a new answer. It’s regressive, counterproductive and demonstrates a lack of research and knowledge on the subject.
Lynx Trust UK has already brought the conversation to every kind of media platform- from the BBC to National Geographic, we’ve led and affected the narrative.
We submitted the first ever license application back in 2018, and conducted the largest ever consultation on the reintroduction of the lynx in with over 9,500 respondents. This has since been replicated, yielding the exact same results, at a much smaller scale. We know that opinions are entrenched here, and we also know that we have overwhelming support by the vast majority. It’s not a secret that sheep farming organisations are not ever going to back this project- so why continue to ask?
We’re moving past conversations, and taking real-world, tangible steps to affect change. The consultation gave us a mandate, we now must act.
These disingenuous attempts to “start” the conversation, are taking the dialogue back 5,10, 15 years is counterproductive, causing confusion and a waste of resources.
Being honest, it feels like there’s a lot of jumping on the lynx bandwagon, by organisations who are not prepared or equipped to make any real moves. At best these are well-meaning people who are just hugely under-equipped to take on this project. At worst it feels like the issue is being exploited by some parties to generate interest and traffic to their organisation; we know better than anyone how talking about rehoming the lynx generates wide-reaching interest.
They have no intention of submitting a license, or taking any practical steps. It’s not backed up by action, and is a talking shop with people asking the same questions, to the same people, and getting the same answers.
The time for talking is over, we are in a biodiversity and climate crisis- the UK is in need of an apex predator, and we do not have the luxury of more talk, we need to take action and make real-world progress. Tree planting is meaningless without apex predators, who will help to bring back functioning ecosystems, and restore balance.
The UK is the only country in Europe without an apex predator, it is a shocking indictment on our conservation efforts.
You can help to affect change and bring action.
Head over to Change.org to sign our petition today.