Numbers of lions are declining rapidly across the African continent, threatened by human-wildlife conflict, reduction in prey, disease and habitat loss. Fauna & Flora International is actively trying to deepen our understanding of the reasons for the decline and develop plans to help conserve this magnificent species.
Fauna & Flora International is supporting the Niassa Lion Project, lead by Colleen and Keith Begg, in the Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique, as part of a wider Niassa research programme on a range of carnivores, including African wild dogs, spotted hyenas and leopards. Constituting 11 million acres of virgin miombo woodland savannah, Niassa is one of the largest conservation areas in Africa, and one of the largest miombo forest ecosystems in the world.
In collaboration with the management authority for Niassa, the Sociedade de Gestão e Desenvolvimento da Reserva do Niassa (SRN), Fauna & Flora International helped to secure the future of the Reserve in 2003, with $1million from FFI’s Arcadia Land Trust, its land purchase fund. Despite years of civil war, cyclones, floods and droughts, the area remains home to the highest concentration of wildlife in Mozambique and globally important populations of lion (800-1000) and African wild dog (more than 400). It is also home to about 30,000 people from the Yao and Macua ethnic groups.
With the support of FFI, The Lion Project is working towards securing the lion population in Niassa by mitigating human induced threats, especially snaring, disease spread from domestic dogs, unsustainable sport hunting and human-lion conflict, including man-eating. This is being done through targeted ecological research, development of sustainable monitoring systems, education and extension work in Niassa communities and mentoring of Niassa field staff.
This project is supported by Arcadia through FFI’s Arcadia Land Trust.
“If you value the natural world, if you believe it should be conserved for its own sake as well as for humanity’s, then do please support FFI.” Sir David Attenborough, FFI Vice President. Please support us today.
Explore an Africa wild and undiscovered from this intimate bush camp set in the vast and remote 42 000 square km Niassa wildlife reserve. Visit Lugenda Wilderness Camp.