Sunday 16th June (pm)

Gradually, everyone starts to gather together for the ‘Ice Breaker’ evening to open the conference. It feels rather like a meeting of old friends as I catch up with several of the people I have already visited. Also, I finally meet, in person, the co-chairs of the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, Dr Urs Breitenmoser and Dr Christine Breitenmoser-Wursten. They have provided great support with my project so far and will be my hosts for the second phase of my trip to Switzerland in January.

Opening addresses are given by the organisers of the meeting, the State Secretary for the Rhineland Palatinate region and a representative from the Council of Europe.

Once, the opening addresses are over the joviality begins ahead of the next few days of talks, working groups and decisions to be made.

Monday 17th June

Dr Urs Breitenmoser sets out the purpose of the conference;

• To review the status and conservation challenges of the Eurasian lynx populations in Central and Western Europe.
• To review ongoing and planned conservation projects for Eurasian lynx across Central and Western Europe.
• To outline a long-term strategy and principles for the recovery and maintenance of the lynx metapopulations on continental Europe.

A day of talks then begins. The majority of the day focuses on the topic of populations and projects: conservation challenges and approaches. The talks are wide ranging covering (not an exhaustive list);

• The Balkan Lynx Recovery Programme.
• The Carpathian Lynx population.
• The Harz lynx population.
• Eurasian lynx in the French Vosges Mountains.
• Reintroduction of lynx into the Rhineland Palatinate Forest.
• The lynx population in the Dinaric Mountains, the south-eastern Alps and the LIFE Lynx Project.

The day ends with talks covering transboundary cooperation and networking.

Thank goodness we all receive copies of the presentations, there’s a huge amount of information to absorb but all great stuff. I feel extremely lucky to have been invited to such an event with leading lynx (and actually several wildcat specialists) in attendance.

Tuesday 18th June

The transboundary cooperation and networking talks continue. These are then followed by talks on conservation challenges and practical approaches. Subjects cover;

• Health aspects in lynx conservation and translocations.
• The genetic status of reintroduced Eurasian lynx populations in Central Europe.
• European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) breeding programmes as sources for lynx reintroductions.

In the afternoon we split into five working groups, which cover a range of topics to aim to address the broad goal of the meeting i.e. to have a strategic plan for Eurasian lynx populations across West and Central Europe.

I decide to join Group 1, which considered;

• The geographic delineation of the phylogenetic groups across continental Europe.
• What source populations should be used for which purposes?

I can’t add much technically to the meeting, however, being a ‘native English speaker’, I soon find myself in the role of Editor in Chief!

Wednesday 19th June

The day is spent reviewing the outputs from each of the five working groups and I am asked if I can retain my role as ‘English Editor’. A draft copy of the outputs of the meeting is to be sent to the EU in order to have an official European Strategy signed off at this level.

The meeting ends with the usual goodbyes and best wishes and I get into a pickup truck with Ole Anders and Lilli Middelhoff to set off for the Harz Mountains.

After about four hours we arrive in the city of Gottingen, where we have an evening meal and I pick up a hire car. I drive Lilli to her car and then I set off following Ole to Oderhaus and the Harz Mountains. After an hours drive, I arrive at the Foresters Bunk house ready to start the next chapter of my travels.