Africa’s protected parks and reserves are capable of supporting more than 80,000 lions if well funded, effectively managed schemes are put in place.
A new study by Panthera Corporation of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) in the Zoology Department of Oxford University in the UK, notes that the continent’s protected areas could support up to 83,000 free-ranging lions with global backing.
“Creating the right conditions for existing protected areas could yield massive recovery in lions and a host of other wildlife species,” said Panthera -WildCRU.
“African governments have set aside enough space to conserve lions effectively. We just need to find ways to enable those areas to be funded sufficiently and managed effectively,” said Panthera research associate Dr Peter Lindsey.
The study found less than one-third of 175 parks and reserves examined are conserving lions at more than 50 per cent of their “carrying capacity”— that is, the natural population levels animals reach if human threats are minimal.
Africa’s lion population has declined steeply in recent years. Some estimates suggest as few as 20,000 wild lions remain on the continent compared with 30,000 about two decades ago.
There are 27 lion range countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, South Africa, Benin, Chad, Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger and Nigeria.
Panthera’s senior lion programme director Paul Funston underscored the value of investing in large wildlife protected areas.
“Very few areas in Africa meet these needs and those that do are pure gold for lions. They are places where tourists can see lions in amazing facets of their behaviour, and where lions properly fulfil their ecological role,” said Dr Funston.
