The Ecological and Societal Roles of the Eurasian Lynx: Evidence and Assumptions

Abstract

Introduction: Apex predators exert top-down pressure on food webs that can shape ecosystem dynamics, while also holding symbolic and utilitarian value for human communities. As human impacts increase, understanding these ecological and societal roles becomes increasingly important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Hypothesis: Among apex predators, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx; hereafter "lynx") stands out for its relatively low conflict potential and broad public acceptance. Tolerance of lynx could maintain or help restore ecosystem processes in increasingly human-modified landscapes. Far-reaching ecological functions are frequently documented for large carnivores and often postulated for the lynx, yet the evidence base has never been systematically compiled. Methods: We synthesised research on the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of the lynx to evaluate its role in contemporary ecosystems. Given the few studies available, we qualitatively assessed the ecological effects of lynx, including trophic interactions and symbolic roles. Discussion: Lynx influence prey and mesopredator populations both consumptively and non-consumptively, though consumptive trophic cascades were observed only in northern regions, and non-consumptive trophic cascades only at fine timescales when perceived predation risk was elevated. Socioeconomic research has focused mainly on burdens associated with lynx, that is, "disservices", like livestock predation, with less attention to potential benefits, like herbivore limitation in silviculture, that

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BibTeX

@article{premier2026ecological,
  title = {{The Ecological and Societal Roles of the Eurasian Lynx: Evidence and Assumptions}},
  author = {Joe Premier and Deborah Brady and Samantha Cartwright and Suzanne T S van Beeck Calkoen and Nicolas de Pelsmaeker and Amelia Holmes and Eva Sanchez Arribas and Adam F Smith and Nadège C Bonnot and Ian Convery and Nina Gerber and Dries P J Kuijper and Deniz Mengüllüoğlu and Axel Moehrenschlager and Craig Shuttleworth and Faye Whiley and Rok Cerne and Bart Donato and Sheng Li and Marco Heurich},
  journal = {Mammal Review},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1111/mam.70049},
  url = {https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05857521v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Ecological and Societal Roles of the Eurasian Lynx: Evidence and Assumptions
AU  - Joe Premier
AU  - Deborah Brady
AU  - Samantha Cartwright
AU  - Suzanne T S van Beeck Calkoen
AU  - Nicolas de Pelsmaeker
AU  - Amelia Holmes
AU  - Eva Sanchez Arribas
AU  - Adam F Smith
AU  - Nadège C Bonnot
AU  - Ian Convery
AU  - Nina Gerber
AU  - Dries P J Kuijper
AU  - Deniz Mengüllüoğlu
AU  - Axel Moehrenschlager
AU  - Craig Shuttleworth
AU  - Faye Whiley
AU  - Rok Cerne
AU  - Bart Donato
AU  - Sheng Li
AU  - Marco Heurich
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/24
JO  - Mammal Review
DO  - 10.1111/mam.70049
UR  - https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-05857521v1
AB  - Introduction: Apex predators exert top-down pressure on food webs that can shape ecosystem dynamics, while also holding symbolic and utilitarian value for human communities. As human impacts increase, understanding these ecological and societal roles becomes increasingly important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Hypothesis: Among apex predators, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx; hereafter "lynx") stands out for its relatively low conflict potential and broad public acceptance. Tolerance of lynx could maintain or help restore ecosystem processes in increasingly human-modified landscapes. Far-reaching ecological functions are frequently documented for large carnivores and often postulated for the lynx, yet the evidence base has never been systematically compiled. Methods: We synthesised research on the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of the lynx to evaluate its role in contemporary ecosystems. Given the few studies available, we qualitatively assessed the ecological effects of lynx, including trophic interactions and symbolic roles. Discussion: Lynx influence prey and mesopredator populations both consumptively and non-consumptively, though consumptive trophic cascades were observed only in northern regions, and non-consumptive trophic cascades only at fine timescales when perceived predation risk was elevated. Socioeconomic research has focused mainly on burdens associated with lynx, that is, "disservices", like livestock predation, with less attention to potential benefits, like herbivore limitation in silviculture, that
SN  - 0305-1838
SN  - 1365-2907
ER  -

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