Publication of a conservation strategy by the West and Central Africa lion conservation network

The lion is more threatened in West and Central Africa than in the rest of Africa. Lions in this region are restricted to protected areas and their immediate surroundings, and almost all populations are small. Livestock losses around many protected areas, in combination with weak management capacity, lead to fragmentation and decline of lion populations and to considerable losses for livestock owners. Recently there has been serious concern about the status of the African lion, and recognition of the need to achieve consensus among the Range States on the way forward for improving its conservation and management. Organized by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), and its Cat Specialist Group, a workshop was held in Douala, Cameroon, from October 5-7 2005. The objective of the workshop was to develop conservation strategies for West and Central Africa, to assure conservation of the African lion in these sub-regions. This workshop also developed an updated distribution map for lions in the region, as a basis for the conservation strategy. The DAS grant to ROCAL will ensure the printing of this strategy and distribution of 750 copies (in French and English) to decision makers in the region. The strategy will be an important instrument in lobby activities towards better protection of this species in the two regions. It will also help in designing management approaches that will reduce the economic losses to cattle owners living in or around protected areas, which seriously threatens their livelihoods.

With the DAS grant, 750 copies of the regional lion conservation strategy have been printed and distubuted to stakeholders in 12 countries in the region