Knowledge about the number of Eurasian lynx in Poland is important from
the viewpoint of lynx protection and education of society in the field
of wild animals. The occurrence of lynx in Poland is limited to the
forest environment. These animals rarely leave forested areas as the
territories used by humans are a relevant barrier in long-distance
migrations. Habitats' fragmentation is probably the most important
factor determining the stability of the lynx population. This is
evidenced by the comparison of the species situation in areas with
different levels of forestation. Based on the collected data, we
observed that Eurasian lynx occur mostly in the Podkarpackie
Voivodeship, which is a part of Carpathian Mountains, and in the
primeval forests of north-eastern part of Poland. In the west part is
still scarce. Our study presents estimation of the number of Eurasian
lynx in Poland from 2004 to 2018 and the prediction of the trend in the
population development in the next 10 years, using Holt's model as
statistical analysis which is the most useful for wildlife populations.
The data were collected from Central Statistical Office of Poland and
supplementary data from the Polish Hunting Association in Poland. This
study may be helpful for the better understanding of the species and
also to protect it, because since 1995 the Eurasian lynx is an
endangered species in Poland. Many institutions have been implementing
conservation plans for this species, mainly attempts to reintroduce the
species are used into the most suitable areas of Poland.