Put a Cork in it for Lynxes

Buying a bottle of wine, or champagne, with a real cork stopper, can help critically endangered lynx.

The Iberian lynx is a great example of how the smallest change can make a big difference to wildlife. With just 150 believed to be left in the wild, efforts to save the species are critical, and supporting charities are urging people to buy cork-stoppered bottles.

Aren't Screw-tops Eco-friendly?
Whilst on the face of it, screw-tops appear to be an eco-friendly option, in reality cork farming is a highly sustainable way of housing wildlife.

"Clever propaganda by the manufacturers of screw tops and plastic corks has led many people to think that cork stoppers are bad for the environment when exactly the opposite is true," said Beatrix Richards of the WWF.

Cork can be harvested every nine years without damage to the tree, by peeling off a layer of bark. The habitat this farming creates in southern and central Spain and Portugal is home to the critically endangered Iberian lynx. The forests are also home to other endangered species, including the Iberian imperial eagle and, in Tunisia, the Barbary deer. Over winter, the entire European population of common cranes come to roost in the cork forests.

What is happening to cork forests?

The shockingly small number of lynx is largely due to a decrease in habitat as cork farming dwindles in favour of other methods of bottling. As 70% of farmed cork is used in bottles, farmers are gradually being forced to replace cork trees with other crops, such as eucalyptus. The lynxes rely on the shelter of cork woodland for raising kittens, as well as rich pickings, with rabbits their favourite prey.

The WWF estimate that within 10 years up to three quarters of the Mediterranean's cork forests could be lost.

Don't corks spoil wine?
Whilst older corks can occasionally lead to musty-tasting wine, new techniques are being developed to prevent this. In an attempt to boost productivity, Portuguese cork producers have introduced new sterilization and purification methods to ensure corks are not contaminated with Trichloroaniso (the chemical which causes wine to spoil.)

Everyone's a Winner
So you can drink safe in the knowledge you are protecting sustainable farming, a beautiful habitat and the stunning Iberian lynx. You can even ease a hang-over by recycling the cork.

• Lynx Links
  If you are interested in helping the Iberian Lynx directly, visit the SOS Lynx website, http://www.soslynx.org/  There is lots of information about the species, and the work being done to save them.
• The WWF website also has lots of information about the lynx, and the cork industry.
  http://www.panda.org/index.cfm
• Read more about Coto Donana National Park, the most important habitat for the European lynx.
• New population of lynx discovered in Spain in 2007.