For many years, the Leo Foundation has maintained a strong presence in West Africa. We are actively involved in the last two remaining strongholds for lions in the region: the border area between Senegal and Guinea, and the border region of Benin, Burkina Faso, and Niger. In addition, there is another protected area that most likely still harbors a small but important lion population: Kainji Lake National Park in Nigeria.
At Kainji Lake, and in collaboration with the Nigerian National Park Service, the West African Conservation Network (WACN) is actively working to conserve and restore the protected area. In a short period of time, this organization has achieved impressive progress in establishing a highly skilled team and successfully raising funds. The region is challenging and ambitions are high, but given the extremely vulnerable conservation situation in West Africa, Kainji Lake could prove to be a critically important area.
The Leo Foundation is proud to contribute to this effort. Accordingly, the Leo Foundation has entered into a collaboration with WACN, expressing our shared commitment to the conservation of large carnivores in Kainji Lake. As a first concrete step, the Leo Foundation is financing the repair of several vehicles, enabling rangers to more effectively patrol the park, monitor wildlife, and combat poaching.
This is, of course, only the beginning. Much more financial support is needed to protect Kainji Lake in the long term and to give nature there a chance to recover. Would you like to contribute? You can do so here.
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