Lion distribution ranges shrunk drastically over the last decade. Also, conflicts between became more and more apparent in Africa. But how do those two processes affect each other? First, these conflicts could potentially have a severe direct impact on lion populations and their habitat. Second, they can have serious effects on the safety of the conservation teams and the success of conservation efforts.
To make this process visible, we created several maps with different types of on-going human-human conflicts in Africa (conflict data obtained from ACLED data from 2019). When overlaid on the lion distribution range in Africa, it provides us with a snapshot of critical information on serious hotspots where lions and human conflics clash. Results show important focus areas for the work of Leo Fouondation, such as the WAP complex and North Cameroon. Since those areas display a high level of conflic, conservation efforts are even more important.
The extent of the impact of these conflicts needs assessment periodically. Therefore, Leo Foundation recommends that these areas should get priority for lion population assessments and conservation.
We will update the maps periodically on our website.
