John Swinney’s government has said it will not oversee a legal reintroduction of lynx to Scotland. While I would not rule out a future effort to reintroduce these animals to Britain, I agree that now is not the time to go ahead with such a project.
The Scottish landscape today is not what it was in the ninth century, when the last lynx is thought to have lived in Britain. Today, the area covered by woodland in Scotland, whilst the highest among the UK’s nations, still falls well below the EU average, where lynxes have already been successfully reintroduced. More fundamentally, however, there is no national memory among stakeholders of what it means to live and farm alongside lynxes, or any large carnivore for that matter.
This, I believe, is what would form the biggest challenge to any proposed lynx reintroduction. The “unanimous lack of support” from the British farming community – for example, towards a proposed reintroduction in Kielder, Northumberland – has led the National Farmers’ Union of Scotland to describe such proposals as “wholly unacceptable.” The NFUS fears that the impact on livestock farmers would be simply too great.
The Union’s fears are not unfounded. There is little agreement on the impact of lynx on sheep farming in mainland Europe. Estimates wildly diverge, although one Norwegian lynx has been documented as having killed 54 sheep in only 100 days. The consequences of reintroducing the lynx would only become apparent once reversal is no longer an option. While too much weight cannot be given to the vested interest of a single group, it seems difficult to ask farmers already facing an uncertain climate – both environmentally and economically – to take on this potential extra burden.
The biggest benefit of lynx reintroduction that I see would be their ability to keep on top of Scotland’s deer population, one that is spiralling out of control in certain areas. The lack of apex predators in Scotland’s natural environments may prevent population control, but even the British Deer Society admits in a report that the full impact of lynx on deer – as on sheep – cannot yet be determined. Lynx would likely stalk other protected animals, such as the capercaillie, alongside a mixture of deer, livestock, and other mammals.
The money and time required to make such a scheme a success would be better spent elsewhere. NFUS, for example, is still calling for better support from NatureScot to help them live alongside white-tailed eagles, another large predator reintroduced into the west coast of Scotland. If farmers still do not feel ready to accept the presence of eagles in the skies above the land, what is the merit in going ahead with a scheme that would enable the presence of large, dangerous carnivores?
Opinion polls show that public feeling has warmed towards the lynx in recent years, with over a third of Brits supportive of the idea of reintroduction. That change, however, could be paralleled by a general disconnection from what it means to live and farm in today’s Scotland.
Undoubtedly, lynx would bring benefits to the Scottish ecosystem. I remain hesitant, however, about a large-scale introduction before all stakeholders in Scotland’s natural landscape feel that their concerns have been sufficiently addressed. Scotland is not the country that it was when lynxes last roamed our hills. A holistic view would be needed to ensure that this landmark reintroduction would be a success – and the support of all stakeholders is absolutely essential.
Illustration by Hal Purton