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IUCN Conference on Lions In Johannesburg Newsletters » Mar/Apr 2006 » IUCN Conference on Lions In Johannesburg Mr and Mrs Conolly attended the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) workshop in mid January and discovered some very important facts on the lions of today and what researches, companies and countries are doing for the king of beasts... Dear All, Please find below what we consider to be the major points coming out of the World Conservation Union lion strategy workshop. As you are all aware, lions have always and still do, play a very significant role in AE's growth. I think it is very important that all of us associated with AE and LE are always well informed with the status of the African lion and the AE lion rehabilitation programme. Introduction: After spending three long days with conservationists and academics, literally from across the globe, for us the most striking point was that the future of the African lion is extremely bleak. Some interesting facts that came out of the workshop: 70% of lion estimates have a 40% error There is no change in the status of the African lion - it remains on the vulnerable list in east and southern Africa and endangered in west and central Africa Conservationists admitted that the off take of lions could be double that of current estimates - the extra unaccounted for animals being taken off by local hunting, illegal hunting and illegal trade in trophies, skins and body parts There have been drastic increases in lion poisoning in large parts of Kenya and EA in general There has been a change of attitude of the indigenous people throughout Africa with regard to lions. Many are now saying "Kill all the lions". This is understandable when one considers that the indigenous people derive very little benefit - if any - from trophy hunting of lions. Yet it is these same people who suffer major losses to livestock and even their own lives. When challenged, all the major speakers admitted that the data available with regard to numbers of lions was highly debatable and questionable When I spoke to a couple of the conservationists as to why proper and professional counts of lions were not conducted across the African continent, the answer I received was 'BECAUSE EVERYONE IS TOO AFRAID TO FIND OUT HOW MANY LIONS ARE REALLY OUT THERE'. If they really knew the numbers and distribution of the remaining lions in Africa, then the lion would immediately be placed on the endangered species list. The upgrading of the lion from vulnerable to endangered would immediately put in question a great deal of the wild life management policies presently in place and supported by conservation organizations and governments. Wildlife management policies in Africa are highly political. As such, like anywhere else in the world, the policies are not always rational. Decisions such as allocation of land for agriculture, hunting etc often take precedence over allocation of land for wildlife conservation. Obviously the former would win a lot more votes. Problems facing the African lion - over 100 were noted: Agricultural development, politics, disease, illegal hunting, poaching, cub and lion body parts trading, over population of elephants which cause destruction of vegetation for lion prey species etc etc etc. So as you can see, we have a pretty glum picture and the future of the African lion looks extremely uncertain and insecure. So how did AE and LE benefit from the conference? SIGNIFICANTLY. The mere fact that we were at the conference, made people sit up and take note that we are serious about what we are doing. Networking and contacts made were amazing. I had opportunities to speak to: The chairlady of the Specialist Species Group The African president, southern region, IUCN The chairlady, IUCN Cat Specialist Group The chairman, African Lion Working Group Acting Director General Zambian Wildlife Authority The chairman Born Free Foundation and many, many more equally influential people I made a point of meeting with and discussing our programme with all of the above (plus others). I was extremely well received and am in the process of follow up correspondence. I can assure you that two years ago, no one would have really listened to us. However with the continued decline of the African lion, I believe that people are now starting to take AE and the AP rehabilitation programme very seriously. Although it will never be the complete solution, it is definitely one way of ensuring a small, secure lion population, which could be re-introduced into the wild. Goal statement. We believe that we were able to play a part in formulating the goal statement issued at the end of the workshop, which is "TO SECURE, AND WHERE POSSIBLE, RESTORE SUSTAINABLE LION POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT THEIR PRESENT AND POTENTIAL RANGE WITHIN EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA, RECOGNIZING THEIR POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE SUBSTANTIAL ECOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS." We felt that we were able to play a part in the "RESTORE" section of the goal statement. This is obviously where the AE rehab programme will play its biggest role. i.e. restoring lions into areas where there used to be lions and they no longer exist. In conclusion, I believe that the time has come for us to form an association with as many interested international stakeholders as possible. I also think that we are now ready to go public with this programme - hopefully even get National Geographic to film it. Wendy and I are already working on these aspects. The most important thing to me, is that it makes everything that we are doing with the lions so, so challenging, exciting and worthwhile. I believe that we can all go forward in total confidence in our lion rehab programme, looking forward to, in the not too distant future, our first release of lions into the wild. Best regards, Andrew Conolly Jambo - Hello from Milena! Antelope Park - Lion Project News Lion Encounter - Victoria Falls Lion Project News Zambia Lion Volunteer Project Update IUCN Conference on Lions In Johannesburg - Mr Conolly Reports Hwange Volunteer Conservation Project Update Trip Report - Volunteers visit Rhino Project Lion Cubs News People on the move at African Impact Kwaheru! Subscribe to our free newsletter Africa volunteer opportunities       print this page | bookmark this page (CTRL-D) | send to a friend back to top