Suitability assessment of olive plantations for Iberian Lynx habitat restoration

This study adopts a twofold methodological approach to assessing the suitability of agricultural areas for wildlife habitat restoration. Embedding expert judgements through an Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) about the effect of specific elements of the landscape on Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) habitat restoration potentiality as an indicator of selection of the most suitable agricultural areas to be transformed to the natural state (Mediterranean forest and scrublands). The case study is the olive (Olea europaea L.) plantations of the mountain areas of Andalusia (Spain) which, because of their low yield, are likely to be abandoned after the decoupling of the EU olive oil subsidies. The results suggest that the edge of major agricultural areas (mostly olive groves), the natural vegetation and areas adjacent to Natural Park with oaks would be most suitable for wildlife habitat restoration. These results are in agreement other studies carried out by other researchers on biodiversity, based on either individual or groups of species