130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

3.3. Iberian ibex
Capra pyrenaica
Summary
The Iberian ibex declined due to over-exploitation,
poaching, infection and inter-species competition.
In contrast, legal protection, translocations and
reintroductions, and new habitat resulting from
rural abandonment have had positive effects on
the species’ distribution and abundance. However,
there are differences in ecology between the two
remaining subspecies, and future management
strategies will have to be devised accordingly.
Background
General description of the species
The Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica), a familiar and
popular species due to its occurrence in close
proximity to humans, is endemic to the Iberian
peninsula [1] . As a mixed feeder, it browses or grazes
depending on the availability of plants, and diet is
influenced by altitude [2] , geographic location [3] and
season [4] . Based on the small genetic distance between
Iberian and Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) [5] as well as paleontological
descriptions found in Germany [6] , the species
are believed to have split following a wave of Capra
immigration into Europe 300,000 years ago [5] .
Distribution in Europe
Once widely distributed throughout southwest
France, Spain, Andorra, and Portugal, the ibex
decreased significantly over the past 200 years
due to over-exploitation and habitat loss [7–9] . It
formerly existed in four subspecies [1] . C. p. lusitanica,
which inhabited northwest Portugal and Galicia
in Spain, died out at the end of the 19 th century [10] ;
and C. p. pyrenaica, which was abundant in the
Pyrenees in the Middle Ages [11] and remained in
the Spanish territory until its extinction in 2000
due to overhunting, agricultural development and
expansion, and habitat deterioration [7, 12] . Today,
two subspecies remain: C. p. hispanica in central
and Mediterranean Spanish mountain ranges, and
C. p. victoriae in the northwest Iberian Peninsula [13] .
There is, however, some controversy about the
subspecies classification, with some not being recognised
[14–16] . Despite drastic reductions in the sizes of
some populations [7] , ibex in Spain have generally
increased in both number and range over the last
three decades [7] . The species is now widespread in the
Iberian Peninsula [17] [7, 18]
, existing in over 50 localities
and expanding its range into Portugal [1, 13] .
Habitat preferences and general densities
The Iberian ibex prefers rocky habitats with bare,
steep slopes [19] . Although it often colonises new
areas rapidly through dispersal [17, 20] , the species
can become displaced to less optimal habitat such
as pasture-scrub land due to competition with
livestock [21] .
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