On the trail of the Iberian lynx.
A portrait of conservation and reintroduction efforts in Spain. I am an amateur photographer with over 40 years of experience, specialising in wildlife photography. My work is much more than just a collection of images. It is a message, a call to action. Each photo conveys a deep conviction that it is vitally important to appreciate and protect the beauty and diversity of nature.
After conducting specific research, I had the opportunity to visit a research station that oversees a reintroduction project in Castile-La Mancha, Spain. To take pictures of the Iberian lynx, I spent a total of about 50 hours over five days in various hiding places at temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius. The Iberian lynx is one of the most endangered cat species in Europe. It belongs to the unique fauna of the Iberian Peninsula. For years, it has been the focus of conservation measures, resulting in the re-naturalisation of land in Castile-La Mancha. This consisted of public protected areas as well as predominantly private fincas and hunting grounds. Success was only possible because the landowners were actively involved and compensated - a close interlinking of nature conservation, agriculture, and hunting.
With this conservation project, Spain is demonstrating how animal and nature conservation can work in harmony with agriculture and hunting. This is the theme of my next exhibition. I have edited the image shown here in black and white and as a high-key image in order to place the lynx at the centre of the viewer's attention and suppress everything unimportant from the image.
