A recent study by Panthera found that lion numbers have dropped 43 percent over the last 20 years to as few as 20,000 individuals living in the wild. Even more dramatic is the fact that lions now occupy only 8 percent of their historic habitat in Africa.
As the top of the food chain, lions are critical to wildlife management. Without lions, the ecological balance of our African savannas would be severely altered. Lions provide for all the scavengers like hyena, jackal, and vultures who eat the lions’ leftovers. So if lions are doing well, then the entire ecosystem is also doing well.
Maintaining the balance of competing land uses is a global issue. Africa’s population is expected to rise from 1 billion people to 2.5 billion in the next 35 years. Many conservation organizations, like The Nature Conservancy, are trying hard to protect nature both for wildlife and as the source of all our food, water, and energy.
In northern Kenya, wildlife conservancies like Loisaba are created to protect wildlife habitat while also creating jobs and taxable income for local governments via a primary ecotourism business model. Integrating community managed livestock grazing and wildlife management is actually very compatible, as long as each has enough room to roam. Our key integrated landscape strategy aims to protect large ecosystems for livestock grazing and iconic wildlife such as elephants and lions.
Livingstone’s death is a reminder of what happens when we take away the wide, open spaces that wildlife need to thrive. The tracking collars Livingstone and other lions wear are helping us figure out which routes they are using so we can focus conservation efforts in those areas. By using this kind of data to increase habitat connectivity, we can ensure that lions like Livingstone can move freely and find their own territory.
