Large carnivores promote crucial ecosystem processes but are increasingly threatened by human persecution and habitat destruction. Successful conservation of this guild requires information on long-term population dynamics obtained through demographic surveys. We used camera traps to monitor Eurasian lynx between 2009 and 2018 in a strictly protected area in the Bohemian Forest Ecosystem, located in the core of the distribution of the Bohemian-Bavarian-Austrian lynx population. Thereby, we estimated sex-specific demographic parameters using spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models. Over 48,677 trap nights, we detected 65 unique lynx individuals. Density increased from 0.69 to 1.33 and from 1.09 to 2.35 individuals/100 km2 for open and closed population SCR models, respectively, with corresponding positive population growth rates (mean = 1.06). Estimated yearly sex-specific survival probabilities for the entire monitoring period were high (females 82%, males 90%) and per capita recruitment rate was low (females 12%, males 9%), indicating a low yearly population turnover. We ascertained an average number of recruits of 1.97 and a generation time of 2.64 years when considering resident reproducing females. We confirmed that reproduction in the study area took place successfully every year. Despite the overall increase in local lynx densities, the number of detected family groups remained constant throughout the study period. These results indicated that the strictly protected study area acts as a source for the multi-use landscapes in its surroundings. In this first open population SCR study on lynx, we provide sex-specific demographic parameters that are fundamental information for lynx management in the study area as well as in similar contexts Europe-wide.

Department of Research and Nature Protection Šumava National Park Administration Sušická 399 34192 Kašperské Hory Czech Republic

Department of Visitor Management and National Park Monitoring Bavarian Forest National Park Freyunger Str 2 94481 Grafenau Germany

Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources University of Freiburg Tennenbacher Straße 4 79106 Freiburg Germany

Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Kamýcká 1176 16521 Prague 6 Czech Republic

Inland Norway University of Applied Science Institute for Forest and Wildlife Management Campus Evenstad 2480 Koppang Norway

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred Kowalke Str 17 10315 Berlin Germany

Plant Biodiversity Research Technische Universitӓt München Emil Ramann Straße 2 85354 Freising Weihenstephan Germany

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