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Iberian Lynx live in one of the richest wildlife habitats in Europe - the dehesa. Over-hot in Summer and Ice-cold in Winter, this is a patchwork of evergreen Holm Oaks and Cork Oaks, a bit like the Savanna in souhtern Africa. |
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| Thse cork forests are home to a variety of endangered wildlife, some 42 species of bird including the Imperial Eagle. (only 170 pairs) Europe's largest Bird of prey - the Black Vulture, in addition Europe's entire Crane population over-winters in the forests. |
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The latest figures show that there are just 150 Iberian
Lynx left on the planet (and only 30 of these are breeding females.) Such is the severity of the situation facing the planet's most endangered cat that the IUCN (the worlds conservation Union) has upgraded its status to critically endangered. |
This part of the Mediterranean is facing an enviromental crisis as wine makers stop using traditional cork stoppers and have begun using plastic and screw top alternatives. |
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| Harvesting cork does not cause any damage to the forests. More than 17 billion cork stoppers are made for the wine industry every year - but not a single tree gets harmed in the process. |
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| Harvesting cork does not cause any damage to the forests. More than 17 billion cork stoppers are made for the wine industry every year - but not a single tree gets harmed in the process. Contrary to popular belief, harvesting cork is 100% enviromentally friendly, leaving the forests and its wildlife intact. |
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| Over 80,000 people depend on the cork industry in the Mediterranean - the recent slump in demand for cork has prompted local people to leave the countryside or, in a bid to find alternative incomes, to cut down forests and plant more profitable crops. Many of these new plants take too many nutrients from the soil, causing widespread ecological damage. The WWF fears that more than 30% of the wine bottle market will soon be using plastic bottle seals. If this does happen, then the forests of the Mediterranean will simply disappear - along with the world's most endangered big cat. |
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