Drones will be put to use to track the Iberian lynx, the world’s most endangered cat, as part of the efforts to re-establish the species in the wild.
Conservationists hope the use of drone technology will eventually replace the need for the lynx to wear radio devices on collars.
The Andalusian regional government has commissioned a specially adapted prototype from a drone company. The deal, initially for one year, is designed to “advance the monitoring of lynx which have been introduced into the wild”.
So far, those lynx from breeding programmes which have been released have been monitored with a VHR device.
"These collars have hitherto provided valuable information on the territory and pathways used by individual felines, but the tracking was dependent on the terrain and required daily monitoring by an operator," said José Fiscal, Andalusia's regional minister for the environment.
Spain has made particular effort to increase the wild population of the Iberian lynx after near extinction, including breeding programmes and efforts to preserve natural habitats.
As a result, numbers have gone up to 327 in the wild by the end of last year with confirmed sightings as far afield as the Guadarrama valley near Madrid.
But threats remain, such as illegal hunting, habitat loss and fast roads on which 22 lynx were killed in 2014.
