[3] In the 20th century, the Iberian lynx population had declined because of overhunting, poaching, fragmentation of suitable habitats, and the population decline of its main prey species, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), caused by myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease.

[4][5][6] Fossils suggest the species has been present in Iberia since the end of the Early Pleistocene, around one million years ago.

By the turn of the 21st century, the Iberian lynx was on the verge of extinction, as only 94 individuals survived in two isolated subpopulations in Andalusia in 2002.

Conservation measures have been implemented since then, which included improving habitat, restocking of rabbits, translocating, reintroducing and monitoring Iberian lynxes.

Felis pardina was the scientific name proposed by Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1827 who described skins of Iberian lynxes that were killed in the area of the Tagus river in Portugal and were traded in Paris and London.

[19][20] In 2012, it was restricted to very limited areas in southern Spain, with breeding only confirmed in Sierra Morena and Doñana coastal plains.

[22] In 2021, a large concentration of Iberian lynxes dating to 40,000 years ago were identified for the first time in Southern Italy, at the fossil site of Ingarano in Apulia.

[17] Camera trapping surveys in the eastern Sierra Morena Mountains between 1999 and 2008 revealed that six females had home ranges of 5.2–6.6 km2 (2.0–2.5 sq mi).

[24] The Iberian lynx preys foremost on the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) for the bulk of its diet, supplemented by red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), rodents and to a smaller degree also on wild ungulates.

[32] Fossil leporid accumulations from the Late Pleistocene show that Iberian lynxes in Spain retreated to caves to rest and consume their meals.

[34][35] Difficulty in finding mates has led to more inbreeding, which results in fewer kittens and a greater rate of non-traumatic death.

[36] Inbreeding leads to lower semen quality and greater rates of infertility in males, hindering efforts to increase the species' fitness.

[2] Habitat loss is due mainly to infrastructure improvement, urban and resort development and tree mono cultivation, which fragments the lynx's distribution.

[46] Conservation measures include restoring its native habitat, maintaining the wild rabbit population, reducing unnatural causes of death, and releasing captive bred individuals.

[47] The Spanish National Commission for the Protection of Nature endorsed the Iberian Lynx Ex Situ Conservation Breeding Program to serve as a "safety net" by managing the captive population and also to "help establish new Iberian lynx free-ranging populations through reintroduction programmes."

[49] Officials intending to release captive-bred lynx look for areas of appropriate habitat, rabbit abundance, and acceptance by the local human population.

[50][55] Discussions were held with the Ministry of Environment on plans for releases in the Campanarios de Azaba area near Salamanca.

[51][59] In November 2014, three Iberian lynxes were released in the Montes de Toledo; one of them later traveled near Aranjuez, in the Madrid region, the first time in 40 years.

[62] In 2014, the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests signed contracts securing 2,000 hectares of land for Portugal's reintroduction project.

September–December 2013 samples were negative for FeLV but one male became the first of his species to test positive for feline immunodeficiency virus and was placed into quarantine.

[81] In July 2014, the MNCN-CSIC announced they had produced sperm cells from the testicular tissue of sexually immature lynx.

Samples collected in Doñana exhibited a high degree of inbreeding as this unit was isolated for a long time.

[86] Portuguese street artist Bordalo II creates installations made of garbage to highlight over-consumption.