The Iberian Peninsula hosts some of Europe's most dramatic conservation success stories — the Iberian lynx recovery from near-extinction — alongside ongoing welfare challenges for wolves, vultures, and the unique dehesa landscape's associated wildlife.
The Iberian lynx recovery is wildlife conservation's greatest modern success story. Reduced from 94 individuals in 2002 to 2,000+ in 2025 through: captive breeding and release; habitat restoration; rabbit population management (lynx primary prey); traffic barrier reduction; and illegal killing prosecution. Each released lynx that establishes territory and breeds represents lives restored to natural existence — a direct welfare benefit measured in individual animals living full wild lives rather than dying in fragmented habitat.
Wolves in Spain are expanding southward after northern recovery. Legal protection was extended to all Spanish wolves in 2021, removing the previously allowed hunting south of the Duero River. This triggered political conflict with farming communities facing livestock predation without legal lethal control. Illegal wolf killing increased following the legal protection expansion. Welfare programs: compensation for livestock losses; subsidies for livestock guardian dogs; electric fencing programs. The welfare of individual wolves is improved by protection, but social conflict around the policy creates risks through illegal killing.
The Iberian Peninsula hosts Europe's largest vulture concentrations. Key welfare issue: anti-poison campaigns have dramatically reduced intentional vulture poisoning, but EU regulations on livestock carcass disposal (requiring removal) removed a major food source. Spain negotiated exemptions allowing carcass leaving in designated zones — restoring food availability while maintaining disease control. This policy solution directly improved vulture welfare by ensuring reliable food access.
The cork oak dehesa — Spain and Portugal's traditional agro-sylvo-pastoral landscape — supports extraordinary biodiversity including imperial eagles, great bustards, and Iberian lynx. Traditional dehesa management (extensive cattle and pig grazing, cork harvest) maintains open woodland structure beneficial to wildlife. Abandonment and intensification both degrade dehesa welfare value: abandonment allows woodland closure; intensification removes diverse habitat structure. Policy support for traditional management is a wildlife welfare intervention.