Why Are African Lions Disappearing?

• by Judy Molland
• December 9, 2012
• 2:30 pm

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/why-are-african-lions-disappearing.html#ixzz2GZO2kQBP

The African lion is an awesome creature when viewed in its natural habitat. This king of the safari can defend itself against other animals, but a new study indicates that it cannot protect itself against human interference.

It’s yet another example of how we people are damaging the earth we inherited. Care2 has reported recently on the alarming decline of the tiger population in India, and the rapidly shrinking number of birds in Britain, both due to human impact. Now we are learning that African lions are suffering the same fate.

According to an analysis published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, the savannah habitat that is the home of African lions has shrunk by 75 percent over the past 50 years, and this dramatic loss could threaten the survival of the species: in the same time period, the population of lions has dropped from 100,000 to roughly 32,000.

The research, conducted by American, African and British researchers, shows how major land-use changes and growth in the human population are putting these magnificent creatures in jeopardy. West African lions have experienced the greatest decline in population with only as few as 500 left in the region.

From The Washington Post:

“It’s a shock,” said Duke University professor for conservation ecology Stuart Pimm, one of the paper’s co-authors.

“Savannah ­Africa has been massively reduced. . . . As [people] moved in, lions have been hunted out.”

According to The Epoch Times, researchers believe that the shrinking lion population is directly due to an increase in farming and development over that half-century span – with around 6,000 lions presently in population centers with a high risk of going extinct.

“The word savannah conjures up visions of vast open plains teeming with wildlife. But the reality is that massive land-use change and deforestation, driven by rapid human population growth, has fragmented or degraded much of the original savannah,” Professor Pimm said in a statement reported by the Epoch Times online. “Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger than the continental United States.”

Last week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its decision to study whether African lions should be listed under the Endangered Species Act, meaning that American hunters could no longer hunt them. This move was the result of several animal rights and conservation groups petitioning the agency to list the species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature also lists the African lion as vulnerable.

From The Epoch Times:

Andrew Jacobson, a research associate with Pimm, said that “the next 10 years are decisive” for the African savannah, “not just for lions but for biodiversity, since lions are indicators of ecosystem health.”

Let’s hope that his words will be heeded before another species goes extinct.

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Read more: africa, African lions, birds, savannah, species extinction, species extinction crisis, tigers

Photo Credit: thinkstock

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/why-are-african-lions-disappearing.html#ixzz2GZNlLEK2

 

Fewer lions survive in ‘pockets’ of savannah

“Existing maps made from low-resolution satellite imagery show large areas of intact savannah woodlands. Based on our fieldwork in Africa, we knew they were wrong,” says lead author Jason Riggio. “Using very high-resolution imagery we could tell that many of these areas are riddled with small fields and extensive, if small, human settlements that make it impossible for lions to survive.” (Credit: “African lion” via Shutterstock)

Science & Technology – Posted by Tim Lucas-Duke on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 11:03

http://www.futurity.org

DUKE/UC DAVIS (US) — About 75 percent of Africa’s savannahs and more than two-thirds of the lion population once estimated to live there have disappeared in the last 50 years.

The study, which appears in Biodiversity and Conservation, estimates the number of lions now living on the savannahs to be as low as 32,000, down from nearly 100,000 in 1960. Lion populations in West Africa have experienced the greatest declines.

“The word savannah conjures up visions of vast open plains teeming with wildlife. But the reality is that massive land-use change and deforestation, driven by rapid human population growth, has fragmented or degraded much of the original savannah,” says Stuart Pimm, professor of conservation ecology at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment. “Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger than the continental United States.”

The next 10 years are decisive for this region, not just for lions but for biodiversity, since lions are indicators of ecosystem health,” says Andrew Jacobson. View larger. (Credit: Stuart Pimm/Duke)

Straight from the Source

Read the original study

DOI: 10.1007/s10531-012-0381-4

Pimm and his colleagues used high-resolution satellite imagery from Google Earth, coupled with human population density data and estimates of local lion populations, to map areas still favorable to the big cats’ survival.

They identified only 67 isolated areas of savannah across the continent with suitably low human impacts and densities.

Of these, only 10 spots were deemed to be “strongholds” where lions have an excellent chance of survival. Many of the strongholds are located within national parks.

None of the strongholds is located in West Africa, where human populations have doubled over the last 20 to 30 years. The new study suggests fewer than 500 lions remain in this region, and they are scattered across eight isolated sites.

Humans on the map

“Existing maps made from low-resolution satellite imagery show large areas of intact savannah woodlands. Based on our fieldwork in Africa, we knew they were wrong,” says lead author Jason Riggio, a former member of Pimm’s lab who is now a Ph.D. student in ecology at the University of California at Davis.

“Using very high-resolution imagery we could tell that many of these areas are riddled with small fields and extensive, if small, human settlements that make it impossible for lions to survive.”

“Giving these lions something of a fighting chance will require substantial increases in effort. The next 10 years are decisive for this region, not just for lions but for biodiversity, since lions are indicators of ecosystem health,” says Andrew Jacobson, a member of Pimm’s lab.

“This research, which is the most comprehensive assessment of lion numbers to date, is a major step in helping prioritize funding strategies for saving big cats,” says co-author Luke Dollar, a former graduate student of Pimm’s and now the grants program director at National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative.

“Of the estimated 32,000 to 35,000 lions, more than 5,000 of them are located in small, isolated populations, putting their survival in doubt. The research will help us better identify areas in which we can make a difference.”

To arrive at their new population estimate of between 32,000 and 35,000 lions, the research team organized an international group of experts to systematically evaluate all existing data on lion numbers in Africa, including those by local “user communities” such as hunting organizations. Previous estimates had placed the number of lions remaining on the savannah at between 20,000 and 40,000.

African savannahs are defined as areas that receive between approximately 11 to 59 inches of rain annually.

The research was funded by National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative, a long-term effort to halt the decline of big cats in the wild through assessment efforts, on-the-ground conservation projects, education, and a global public-awareness campaign.

Source: Duke University

AFRICA’S SAVANNAH ECOSYSTEMS — AND THEIR LIONS —DECLINING AT ALARMING RATE

 African Lion & Environmental Research Trust

http://www.facebook.com/lionalert

 

AFRICA’S SAVANNAH ECOSYSTEMS — AND THEIR LIONS —DECLINING AT ALARMING RATE – Lion Population Estimates as Low as 32,000, Habitat Reduced by 75%. A new study provides the latest estimates of lion numbers, distribution and available habitat. Read more at: http://lionalert.org/news-article/view/id/230