A recent decision to expand Nairobi National Park in Kenya is a good example of how GPS mapping of lions can positively influence policy decisions.
Movement patterns of 12 lions which had been fitted with AWT satellite collars between 2013 and 2019 as part of Francis Lesilau’s PhD study, showed that lions regularly left the park on the south-eastern side to predate on livestock. To better protect the lions against retaliatory attacks by livestock owners, the management of Nairobi National Park decided to increase the park’s surface area from 11.735 ha to 31.000 ha, by an extension in the South East with the inclusion of the Narentunoi Community Conservancy and a goat and sheep farm.
Najib Balala, cabinet secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, said that the expansion comes after the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Swara Plains Conservancy declared these areas of land for wildlife conservation, while the government added another 80 ha of land.
We are proud of the positive impact our project has on the lions of Nairobi National Park, and are determined to keep supporting similar lion conservation projects elsewhere.
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