Dedicated to saving large carnivores
Waza National Parc, located in the Extreme North of Cameroon, is unique in many aspects. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the parc offers a great biodiversity value and it is the only protected nature reserve in this Sahel region. According to the latest population survey of 2019 , the parc still holds some 20 individuals of the endangered northern subspecies of lion.
Read MoreLion distribution ranges shrunk drastically over the last decades. Also, human conflicts became more and more apparent in Africa. But how do those two processes affect each other?
Leo Foundation has generated a few maps in which we overlay both lion distribution with different types of conflicts. We hope that this information will help in identifying focus areas for lion assessment and lion conservation.
All maps can be found on THIS specific page for this project! Take a look quickly!
Leo Foundation is happy to announce that the results of our large carnivore studies in North Cameroon had finally been published! In this study we show the long term trends of large carnivore populations in space and time. This new baseline is essential for determining conservation efforts in the area in the future. We thanks our lion guards for their tremendous effort in gathering all the data in the field, all authors and co-authors in compiling all data into this important article. Last, this research has only been possible with the financial help of US Fish andWildlife Service, World Wildlife Fund and Prins Bernhard Natuur Fonds!
Curious about the article? You can read it HERE
In 2019, a team from Leo Foundation did organise the periodical meeting of the African Lion Working Group (ALWG). The ALWG is the platform for scientists, conservationists and other people who are involved in lion conservation, and is linked to the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). The group has over 120 members, of which 64 were present during the meeting. Regular meetings are thé opportunity where members can share experience and knowledge with each other. As a result, lion conservation and research can be improved.
At the start of November, 64 lion protectors from 4 continents met each other at the Mpala research center in Kenya. Leo Foundation has receives additional funding from the Lion Recovery Fund and Houston Zoo (USA). This supported the participation of lion conservationists from West/Central Africa and India to the meeting. This is very important because this region represents the northern subspecies of the lion, and many populations in this region are on the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, local researchers in these regions often have few resources to attend international meetings. We are therefore grateful that with this support 7 leading lion conservationists from Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, Niger, Sudan and India were able to participate in this important meeting.
It was a successfull meeting, held on a beautiful location. The first two days, a wide selection of presentations were given. Presented topics were; the current status of the lion per region, challenges in lion conservation, the role of genetic research, coexistence with local communities, and the trade in lion bones and body parts. After each session, presented topics were discussed and interesting point of view were raised. The last two days, we visited various projects in the Laikipia area. In these excursions it became clear how in a commercial way of cattle herding and a thriving population of large carnivores can go hand in hand. We have visited different types of bombs, learned about the use of GPS collars with lions. Lastly, we were introduced to the Lion Rangers Program that runs in the area.
At the beginning of June, a Children’s Bushcamp has been held in W National Parc in North Benin. Read More
Nairobi NP – On the morning of 5 februari 2018, a team of KWS (Francis Lesilau), Leo foundation (Hans de Iongh) en CML, Leiden University (Kevin Groen) have decollarred two lionsRead More
End 2017, Leo Foundation received the good news that the proceeds of the National Geographic Junior school diary brought in €6019,39. This money will be used to support our lion guards programme in Cameroon.Read More
The results of the study implemented by staff of the Leo foundation and students of Leiden University in Bouba Ndjida NP, North Cameroon, have now been published in African Journal of Ecology. This study showed that lion and spotted hyena populations in Bouba Ndjida NP seem to have increased between 2005 and 2014. This result was base on a comparison between a calling station survey that Leo Foundation has performed in 2014 with the calling station survey performed by dr Hans Bauer of Wildcru, Oxford in 2005. This project has been sponsored by US Fish and Wildlife Service and Prins Bernhard Natuurfonds.Read More
Last month, chair Hans the Iongh of Leo Foundation visited the Nairobi Lion Project in Kenya, a project that is coordinated by PhD student Francis Lesilau. A very successful visit with many aspects and activities.Read More
