How cork forests promote species conservation

Cork is extracted from the bark of the cork oak, a tree that grows in the forests of Portugal, Spain, and North Africa. Cork oak forests are also home to one of the most diverse ecosystems after the rainforests of the Amazon and Borneo, sheltering hundreds of species. Additionally, many endangered animal species endemic to cork oak forests rely on this unique environment to survive.

How cork forests contribute to species conservation

Lynx ibérique

The Iberian lynx is the most endangered feline species in the world, and cork forests are its refuge and hunting ground. Studies conducted in the early 21st century showed that the adult population had declined to fewer than 100 individuals, divided into two breeding groups. Despite efforts to prevent extinction, the Iberian lynx still faces numerous threats, making its future uncertain. These threats include habitat loss, dwindling food sources, poaching, and road accidents.

Rabbits are a preferred food source for the Iberian lynx, but their populations have declined due to disease outbreaks, negatively impacting the lynx population. New infrastructure, such as roads, separates and creates barriers between lynx populations, leading to an increase in road accidents.

Finally, poaching continues to threaten the Iberian lynx, as do accidental deaths from traps set for other animals. The Lynx Program was created in 2004 to protect lynx habitats. This program also has the ambitious goal of demonstrating how local economic activities, such as cork extraction, can be compatible with the conservation of the species.

Iberian Wolf

The Iberian wolf is a subspecies of the gray wolf found on the Iberian Peninsula. Most of the 2,000 adult Iberian wolves are distributed in 350 packs across northern Portugal and northwestern Spain. The Iberian wolf population is steadily increasing but faces numerous threats, including illegal hunting, prey loss, and increasing habitat loss. Hunting the Iberian wolf is legal in Spain, but not in Portugal, and very few permits are issued each year. Due to the rarity of wolf sightings and their elusive nature, they are considered trophies and are illegally killed by many hunters.

A population of southern wolves once lived in the cork oak forests of the Sierra Morena in southern Spain. Unfortunately, this population became increasingly isolated, leading to inbreeding and interbreeding with dogs. This population is now considered regionally extinct.

Barbary Deer

Not all threatened or endangered animals on this list live in the Iberian Peninsula. For example, the Barbary deer is native to the North African coast. The red deer thrived in the forested areas of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia before becoming extinct. The Barbary deer was reintroduced to Morocco from Tunisia in the 1990s, and a protected population exists in Tazekka National Park. The deer have no natural predators and are threatened by ongoing habitat loss, population isolation, and poaching. Urbanization, agricultural expansion, and forest fires have led to the fragmentation of North Africa's cork oak forests, which is impacting the deer population.

Spanish Eagle

Mammals aren't the only ones that rely on cork oak forests for nesting and hunting. These forests are home to more than 160 bird species, including the Spanish Eagle. Thanks to conservation efforts, the Spanish Eagle population has grown from just 50 breeding pairs in the 1970s to approximately 485 breeding pairs. Despite its population recovery, the eagle still faces numerous threats, such as prey and habitat loss, and collisions with power lines.

Like the Iberian lynx, the eagle has a predilection for rabbits and is also affected by the decline of these populations and the ongoing deforestation in the region. Despite efforts to secure power lines for the birds in Spain and Portugal, electrocution remains a threat to the Spanish eagle. In 2008, 33 eagles were found dead from electrocution in Spain.

Barbary Macaques

The Barbary macaque is unique in that it is the only macaque living outside of Asia. It is critically endangered, with its population steadily declining due to habitat loss, poaching, and the illegal pet trade in North Africa. An estimated 300 young macaques are smuggled out of Morocco each year as part of the illegal exotic pet trade, hampering the species' population growth. The species is also considered a pest by farmers. Habitat loss due to illegal logging also has a devastating impact on the macaque.