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Lion captured by community camera trap in Magombwe, Ruaha, contributing to the village's earned benefits. Conservation cannot succeed in isolation—it must be valuable to local communities. At Lion Landscapes, we are committed to ensuring that large carnivores bring tangible benefits to the people who share their landscape. Our Community Camera Trapping (CCT)  and Community Camera Trapping+ (CCT+)  programmes continue to demonstrate how conservation-driven incentives provide tangible benefits for local communities. CCT rewards villages for the presence of wildlife recorded on camera traps, while CCT+ builds on this by linking benefits not only to wildlife presence but also to conservation-positive actions and reducing conservation-negative activities. By ensuring that benefits are tied to both wildlife presence and responsible conservation behaviours, these programmes help make coexisting with large carnivores more valuable to communities.  This month, we share how communities in Tanzania and Kenya are investing their conservation earnings into long-term development while embracing new strategies to strengthen their conservation commitments. CCT+ Benefits: Impact Updates  In the Ruaha landscape, 13 villages are engaged in the CCT/CCT+ programme. In Malinzanga village, the first village to transition to CCT+ , a significant step towards improving education access is underway. The village is using its CCT+ benefits to build a new primary school , helping to reduce classroom overcrowding. This addition will bring the total number of schools in the village to four, directly benefiting local children. As part of this project, 34 bags of cement were purchased for construction—demonstrating how conservation incentives can support community development. Left to Right: Community members receiving bags of cement for school construction, and a photo of a spotted hyaena captured by a community camera trap in Malinzanga, contributing to the village's earned benefits. In Kenya, birth certificates are essential for school enrollment   and accessing government subsidies, which help schools provide quality education. However, obtaining birth certificates is often a major challenge for parents, who must undertake long and difficult journeys to the nearest town. Without proper documentation, children face barriers to education, and schools struggle to secure the funding needed to support their students. In the Laikipia landscape, one community used part of their CCT+ benefits to address this issue. We coordinated with government officials to visit the village, allowing parents to submit the necessary paperwork locally. As a result, 85 children received their birth certificates , removing a critical barrier to their education and now these children have the opportunity for full school enrollment. Community members from Morijoh going through the birth certificate acquisition process with the help of the registrar of persons. Besides education, access to healthcare is a key priority for many communities, and CCT+ is helping to support this need in the villages we work with in the Selous-Nyerere and Ruaha landscapes. Since January 2024, over 6,500 individuals have been enrolled in the   Community Health Fund (CHF) as part of their benefits from CCT+, ensuring access to essential medical services. The CHF programme provides its community members with free medical treatment, covering services such as doctor consultations, laboratory tests, and essential medications. Villagers in the Selous-Nyerere landscape receive CHF health cards, providing them with access to basic healthcare services at local facilities for a year. By linking wildlife presence and conservation-positive actions to tangible community benefits, such as education and healthcare, the CCT+ programme demonstrates how conservation incentives can contribute to local well-being. Further Reading: Understanding Human-Wildlife Conflict Conflicts over wildlife vary widely—not just in terms of direct impacts but also in how people perceive and respond to them. Levels of Conflict Over Wildlife: Understanding and Addressing the Right Problem  explores the different layers of conflict, from disputes over livestock losses to deeper tensions tied to history, identity, and values. The paper points out that addressing human–wildlife conflicts without good insight into the   levels   and   causes   of conflicts not only fails to resolve them, but can potentially exacerbate the situation. These insights help inform approaches to conservation that go beyond mitigation to address underlying social dynamics. 🔗   Read more about this research here At Lion Landscapes, we recognise the importance of addressing conservation challenges through   partnerships with the communities living alongside wildlife . An integrated and holistic approach is crucial for tackling conservation challenges as complex and dynamic as wildlife conflicts. As we continue to refine our strategies, scientific insights like these help inform our work, allowing us to adapt and innovate for more effective conservation outcomes . Thank you for being part of this journey. Your support helps us create conservation solutions that benefit both people and wildlife. If you'd like to stay involved, share this update, follow us on social media, and help spread the word about the importance of coexistence! 📩 Stay connected and support community-centred conservation.

The African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus ) is one of the world’s most endangered carnivores. Although reliable information is lacking for most populations of the species, the latest estimate places its total population at approximately 6,600 adults in 39 subpopulations ( Woodroffe & Sillero-Zubiri, 2020 ). The Selous-Nyerere landscape in Tanzania is thought to be home to one of Africa’s largest remaining populations of wild dogs, as part of the transboundary Selous-Niassa population which spans southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique. The Selous wild dog population was the focus of the first in-depth study of wild dog behaviour and ecology in the 1990s ( Creel & Creel, 2002 ), but received little to no research attention in the subsequent 25 years. Since 2020, we have been working to get a handle on the current status of this population as part of our wider large carnivore monitoring & conservation programme in Selous Game Reserve and Nyerere National Park. Through a combination of camera trap and spoor surveys across the nearly 50,000km2 landscape – an area larger than Switzerland – and in-depth discussions with Tanzanian collaborators from protected area management authorities TAWA and TANAPA, we have been able to start building a picture of how wild dogs are currently faring in the ecosystem. Our findings show that Selous-Nyerere should still be considered a wild dog stronghold, with the area’s size and intactness making it an ideal home for this particularly wide-ranging species – Selous Head Ecologist Singira Ngoishiye Parsais (TAWA) will soon be publishing these findings as part of his Master’s research. However, the stark reality is that this population is threatened by a number of growing human impacts: habitat conversion in buffer zones is reducing the habitat available to wild dogs and their prey, while bushmeat poaching is suppressing prey populations and impacting wild dogs directly through snare injuries. There have also been cases of poison being intentionally used to kill wild dogs, which can wipe out many members of a pack in one fell swoop.  Wild dogs are facing a number of threats in Selous-Nyerere, including increasing encounters with humans (left) and injuries and death caused by wire snares used for bushmeat poaching (right). These threats and the ecosystem’s importance for the species spurred us to intensify our efforts to monitor and conserve Selous-Nyerere’s wild dogs. In 2023, we began a programme to collar wild dogs in the northeastern part of the landscape, with the goal of improving our understanding of how these animals are moving and dispersing through areas where they are most at-risk. To date, we have collared seven wild dogs across four packs and one dispersing group. Movements of GPS collared wild dogs in Selous Game Reserve and Nyerere National Park. While all of these collars are collecting valuable data, there are two cases that have given us particularly interesting insights. The first is the Kibesa female , a young wild dog collared in August 2024 who is part of a dispersing group of four females. The collaring team with the Kibesa female, a member of a group of dispersing females who was collared at the northern boundary of Selous Game Reserve in August 2024. As you can see in the map below, in mid-October the Kibesa female suddenly travelled a very long way out of Selous, halfway to the Indian Ocean. We were concerned that something might have been wrong given the sudden movement out into unprotected land, including a point right next to a major road, but she soon headed back into the reserve. This journey took her a straight line distance of 123 km from where she was collared. Movements of the Kibesa female from 31 August to 21 November 2024. These kinds of long jaunts are not uncommon for dispersing wild dogs, who are looking to establish a new pack. Unfortunately, because these movements often take them into areas with higher levels of human impact, dispersers are particularly vulnerable to injury or death. Previous research in Kenya found that dispersers experienced a daily mortality risk three times that experienced by adults in resident packs ( Woodroffe et al. 2019 ), while research in southern Africa found human-caused mortality to be responsible for more than 90% of deaths among dispersing wild dog groups ( Cozzi et al. 2020 ). Another interesting case is the Mtemere pack , who were first collared in June 2024. After denning in the main tourist area of Nyerere, the pack moved out of the national park and into unprotected village land – the area where our team is working to monitor and mitigate conflict – in September. Wild dog movements often change a lot once their pups are old enough to leave the den and travel with the rest of the pack; as this litter was born in mid-June, they were around 5 months old at the time the pack relocated. The Mtemere pack, whose range overlaps with the main tourism area in northern Nyerere National Park. The male in the foreground was collared one week after this sighting. Movements of the two collared individuals in the Mtemere pack from 13 June to 21 November 2024. The Lion Landscapes team worked very hard to keep an eye on the Mtemere pack while they were outside the park, including by sending Lion Extension Officers to help people strengthen their livestock enclosures and educate them about the dangers of using poison. This on-the-ground support was instrumental in helping this pack survive its time away from the protection of the park, before they moved back inside in November. As we move into 2025, we are hoping to continue our wild dog programme through continued collaring and follow-up monitoring through collaborations with Frankfurt Zoological Society, TAWA, and TANAPA, which we will use to understand more about this important population and help inform protection activities. Two people who are key to this plan are Singira Ngoishiye Parsais and Leonard Haule, who have both been important members of our carnivore survey teams since 2020. Master’s student and Selous Head Ecologist Singira taking ID photos of members of the Namanyunyu pack in eastern Selous. As Head Ecologist of Selous with TAWA, Singira has more than ten years’ experience working in the reserve, and his detailed knowledge of the landscape has been a huge strength for our work. Inspired by his passion for wild dogs, Singira embarked on his Master’s last year with the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Tanzania, with the support of a WCN scholarship. Singira’s research has included an assessment of the species’ population status, household surveys to understand community attitudes towards wild dogs, and a remote sensing assessment of habitat conversion around the boundary of Selous. Together, this work represents a huge step forward in our understanding of wild dogs and their threats in Selous-Nyerere. Leonard Haule is a researcher with the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), and began his PhD studies in late 2024 at Washington State University in the US. Tapping into Leonard’s expertise in genetics, one aspect of his research will be an assessment of the genetic health of the Selous-Nyerere wild dog population using samples collected during collaring and follow-up monitoring, which he will hopefully be able to compare to the historical data from Creel & Creel’s seminal 1990s study. He will also be using the collar data to understand the species’ ranging behaviour and movements, which together with the genetic research will provide valuable insights into connectivity. This work has been made possible by funding from the UK Government through the Darwin Initiative Capability & Capacity Fund, WWF Germany, Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund and Zoo New England. Financial and logistical support has been provided by Frankfurt Zoological Society through the Selous Ecosystem Conservation and Development Project funded by the United Republic of Germany through the German Development Bank (KfW). Stay in touch   You can visit our website   and keep up to date on our work and research in Africa by subscribing to our general newsletter. Join us on Facebook , Instagram , X  and LinkedIn  for recent photos and stories from the field.

Welcome to 2025! As we kick off the new year, we’re excited to bring you updates from the last quarter of 2024. This newsletter includes highlights from all landscapes we work in, including survey plans for Laikipia and strengthening conservation leadership in Tanzania. We look back on 2024 and invite you to explore our 2023/24 Impact Report to see how your support drives meaningful change for wildlife and communities.  This year, we’re changing how we connect with you to keep you more informed and involved in our work. Our newsletters will now be monthly, offering timely updates and fresh insights into our efforts. In the coming weeks, you’ll receive a survey asking for your thoughts on how we can improve—your honest feedback will help us better serve you and ensure transparency. You are our biggest supporters, and your voice helps us shape a better future for conservation. Capacity Building: Strengthening Conservation Leadership Veterinary Training In collaboration with the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), Lion Landscapes hosted a Wildlife Veterinary Training at Tarangire National Park in November 2024. This training was an opportunity for Tanzania’s wildlife veterinarians to come together to share their experiences, exchange ideas, and try out new technologies and techniques. Led by experienced trainers Dr. Jacobus Raath and Dr. Chris Smith from Wildlife Vets in South Africa, the programme focused on wildlife immobilisation techniques, combining theoretical sessions with practical fieldwork. Participants included 24 Tanzanian veterinarians and veterinary assistants from institutions such as TAWIRI, Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority (TAWA), and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA). During the training, the participants worked together to immobilise various species including zebra, buffalo, lion, wildebeest, elephant, and giraffe. Recognised by the Veterinary Council of Tanzania (VCT) and awarding Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points, the training supports ongoing professional growth and strengthens the country’s wildlife veterinary network. Tarangire National Park, with its exceptional biodiversity and accessibility, provided an ideal setting for this impactful training, underscoring the importance of safeguarding Tanzania’s natural heritage. Wildlife Veterinary Training at Tarangire National Park in November 2024. Wildlife Monitoring Training Lion Landscapes, in partnership with the University of Dar es Salaam, conducted immersive training sessions on three key areas: wildlife monitoring, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and camera trap survey and data management. This programme engaged university students and faculty, building essential skills in survey design, camera trap deployment, and data analysis. Designed to be highly interactive, the training encouraged active participation, allowing students to ask questions and engage with the material and trainers. For many undergraduate participants, it was their first exposure to camera traps. As a result, the training was structured as a gradual knowledge exchange exercise, ensuring that foundational concepts were clearly explained and understood. These hands-on experiences and skills are vital for equipping the next generation of conservationists to tackle biodiversity loss and develop innovative coexistence strategies. Beyond technical training, participants explored the ethical dimensions of conservation through discussions on balancing ecological priorities with the needs of local communities. Wildlife Monitoring Training sessions at the University of Dar es Salaam. By combining practical skills with meaningful discussions, the programme empowered participants to become informed and effective leaders in conservation efforts. We extend our gratitude to the Darwin Initiative Capability & Capacity programme and the Lion Recovery Fund for their invaluable support in making these trainings possible. Ecological Surveys: Collecting Evidence for Conservation Understanding the impact of our conservation activities is critical to ensuring the long-term success of our efforts. Through ecological monitoring, we gather essential data that informs conservation strategies and helps track progress over time. Future Kenya Surveys: Monica Ngasike, a Research Assistant with our Kenya team, built on her training at the University of Dar es Salaam by attending an ecological survey workshop led by our Data Manager, Joseph Francis. This training will help guide the Kenyan team to implement future ecological camera trap surveys in the Laikipia Landscape. By learning advanced techniques for survey grid design, camera deployment, and data analysis using tools, Monica gained practical skills to adapt proven methodologies from the Selous-Nyerere landscape to the unique challenges of Laikipia. The training underscored the importance of standardising methodologies between project sites, ensuring consistency and comparability in data collection and analysis. Effective survey techniques are essential to ensure that the data collected contributes meaningfully to conservation planning. The lessons Monica learned will not only enhance the Laikipia survey but also promote cross-team collaboration, ensuring that knowledge, methodologies, and successes are shared across landscapes.  We extend our heartfelt thanks to Oxford’s WildCRU Inclusivity Accelerator Fund  for making this vital training possible. Monica Ngasike, a Research Assistant with our Kenya team, participated in a training on ecological surveys led by our Data Manager Joseph Francis in Selous-Nyerere. Selous-Nyerere Surveys: As we prepare for the upcoming Laikipia ecological monitoring survey, we are proud to report the success of our most extensive survey yet in eastern Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania. Conducted in collaboration with the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) and funded by the Lion Recovery Fund, NAWIRI, Zoo New England and WWF Germany, the 2024 camera trap survey saw the deployment of over 116 paired camera trap stations across more than 2,500 square kilometres, building on previous data collected in the area in 2021. The data from this survey will allow us to track trends in the population densities of lions, leopards, spotted hyaenas, and African wild dogs, while also helping us gain insights into prey populations and threats. Our teams will be processing the thousands of images collected over the coming months and working with protected area managers to plan conservation actions based on our findings. Left: Field team preparing camera traps for the Selous-Nyerere survey. Right: Lion captured on a camera trap during the survey in Selous-Nyerere. This research not only informs our conservation strategies but also contributes to global knowledge about large carnivore populations in critical landscapes. Ruaha Surveys: Long-term ecological monitoring in the Ruaha-Rungwa landscape has been a cornerstone of our conservation efforts for many years, leading to numerous important publications  and critical insights into large carnivore ecology across the region. A recent study  from the Ruaha landscape revealed that spotted hyaenas may be less resilient to human disturbance than previously thought, challenging earlier assumptions about their adaptability to environmental pressures. This research highlights the importance of sustained, long-term monitoring in refining our understanding of how species respond to human-induced changes in their habitats.  Left: Spotted hyaena captured on a camera trap. Right: detail of camera trap grids in (1) the core tourist area of Ruaha NP, (2) Ruaha NP miombo woodlands, (3) MBOMIPA WMA and (4) Rungwa GR. Protecting Wildlife from Poisoning Frustrated by the loss of livestock—their primary source of income—pastoralists sometimes resort to poisoning as retaliation against large carnivores. In East Africa, poison is readily available, inexpensive, and often seen as a quick fix. However, its impact is far-reaching and indiscriminate, claiming the lives of not only predators but also vital scavengers such as vultures, along with other wildlife. This practice threatens ecosystems and biodiversity, highlighting the urgent need for awareness and sustainable conflict mitigation strategies. Laikipia Lion Extension Officers Lead the Way In October, our Lion Extension Officers (LEOs) in Laikipia participated in a specialised poison awareness training facilitated by The Peregrine Fund. The Peregrine Fund have been giving this training to local communities and our teams in Laikipia since 2018 emphasising the ecological and health risks posed by poisoning, and equipping LEOs and Lion Rangers with the knowledge to effectively communicate the dangers of poisoning to both human health and wildlife, and reduce the impacts of poisoning events when they do occur. Poison awareness training builds awareness about the broader impacts of poisoning and encourages safer practices that benefit people and ecosystems alike. This works in concert with joint efforts to protect livestock from predation - the main cause of poisoning - by sharing knowledge on how to build predator resistant livestock enclosures, and making the materials for these enclosures available at affordable prices in remote communities. By giving community livestock owners the knowhow they need to protect their livestock from predation, and the awareness to protect their families and environment from poisoning, this training helps reduce poisoning incidents. Additionally, through empowering LEOs to act as frontline responders when poisoning events do occur, Lion Landscapes and The Peregrine Fund help prevent these events from escalating, reducing the losses of large carnivores and other scavenger species, including vultures. Lion Extension Officers at the Poison Awareness Training event in Laikipia. Community Awareness in Southern Tanzania In southern Tanzania we collaborate with North Carolina Zoo (NCZ), to deliver and develop poison awareness training for community members. Recently, we developed and piloted a new curriculum in Ruaha, allowing participants to practice and apply what they learned in a real-world setting.  As in Laikipia, the training provides communities with alternative, sustainable methods to protect their livestock, reducing reliance on poisoning. This approach highlights the interconnectedness of human livelihoods and ecosystem health, encouraging safer practices that benefit both.  Poison Awareness Training events in Ruaha and Selous-Nyerere. Using Tagged Vultures as an “Eye in the Sky” As part of our collaboration with North Carolina Zoo, Lion Landscapes has also supported the expansion of the “Eye in the Sky” programme, which uses vultures equipped with satellite trackers to monitor poisoning incidents, specifically on community land. In 2024, seven vultures in Ruaha and five in the Selous-Nyerere landscape were fitted with trackers, enabling the detection of smaller poisoning events that might otherwise go unnoticed.  These tagged vultures help identify potential poisoning sites by clustering around carcasses. When such clusters are detected, Lion Defenders and Lion Extension Officers (LEOs) are deployed to investigate the scene. If poisoning is confirmed, they can rapidly decontaminate the area to mitigate further harm. Early tracking data has highlighted critical vulture feeding areas and potential poisoning hotspots, honing swift ground responses by our Lion Defenders and Lion Extension Officers, and reducing wildlife casualties. White-backed vulture movement maps in Ruaha (left) and Selous-Nyerere (right). Wildlife Clubs: Inspiring the Next Generation In the Selous-Nyerere landscapes, five new wildlife clubs were launched in 2024, engaging over 350 students from primary schools. Teacher-led sessions provided hands-on education about wildlife conservation and coexistence strategies. At the end of the school term students were assessed on what they had learnt in the wildlife clubs and the top-performing schools were rewarded with resources and a trip to Nyerere National Park, offering students an immersive experience to connect classroom lessons with real-world conservation. These clubs not only educate but also empower students to become ambassadors for conservation in their communities, creating a ripple effect of awareness and action. In Ruaha we continued running the Wildlife club at Mlowa Secondary School. One of the highlights in 2024 was Talent Day, where the students celebrated conservation through art, music, and performance. Students highlighted the importance of biodiversity and received certificates commemorating four years of active engagement.  This initiative, supported by Phoenix Zoo, has fostered a new generation of conservation advocates committed to protecting their natural heritage. By integrating cultural expression with conservation education, the programme has helped bridge traditional knowledge and modern conservation practices. Wildlife Club at a Park Trip in Selous-Nyerere (left). Wildlife Club at a talent day in Ruaha (right). A Look Back on 2024 Key Metrics and Impact Key statistics from our 2023-2024 Impact Report Explore our 2023/24 Impact Report to learn about the achievements of our teams, partners, and supporters - https://www.lionlandscapes.org/impact-report As we move into 2025, your support remains vital. Together, we can drive forward impactful conservation initiatives, ensuring a sustainable legacy for generations to come. Here’s to another year of progress and collaboration! THANK YOU - ASANTE SANA - ZIKOMO KWAMBILI   As always, we thank all our partners and sponsors for their generous and committed support. Stay in touch   You can visit our website and keep up to date on our work and research in Africa by subscribing to our general newsletter. Join us on   Facebook , Instagram ,   X   and LinkedIn  for recent photos and stories from the field.

Laikipia is home to a diversity of incredible wildlife species. The Lion Rangers and Researchers of Laikipia are always taking excellent shots of the local wildlife they spot on their field patrols. Here, you can view a selection of our favourites. East African Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus jubatus) Laikipia's Innovative Photographers: The Laikipia Lion Rangers The Laikipia Lion Rangers patrol over a total of 111,250 hectares of Kenya's prime Lion Landscape, helping protect community livelihoods for those sharing the landscape with nearly 300 wild lions.⁠ On their patrols, the Lion Rangers and Lion Landscapes Researchers have bumped into an incredible array of wildlife, capturing some great sightings. Incredibly, the Rangers don't often have cameras, so they use their mobile phones and binoculars to get these incredible close-up wildlife shots surrounded by a black rim. The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana). The largest terrestrial mammal. Waterside Spots by Thomas Mojong, Terrapin turtles and Nile crocodile. Leucistic "blonde" Zebra by Thomas Mojong. This zebra has less black melanin pigmentation than the other normal zebras. Two Defassa waterbuck (Left) and Female Greater Kudu (Right) by Lion Ranger Boniface Lowoi, on Loisaba Conservancy. Oxpecker and Wattled Starling sitting on White Rhino at Lewa Conservancy, by Thomas Mojong. Lioness hiding in the undergrowth at Mugie Conservancy, by Elaine. Lion with zebra kill at Loisaba Conservancy. Lions and Ecosystems Although our conservation work focuses on lions and other large carnivores, their presence will protect and maintain healthy ecosystem functioning. All species are important to ensure the health of an ecosystem but lions are particularly important as apex predators, meaning their decline or removal would lead to ecosystem collapse. If large carnivores disappeared, herd populations would boom and grazers would eat the grass, transforming the savanna as we know it. A Lion Landscape is a landscape that supports a viable population of wild lions, or any other pinnacle carnivore species. To do this it must also support healthy wild prey populations, healthy habitat, and benefit local people. ⁠Our lion conservation and research work focuses on how local communities, their livestock and lions can co-exist in these lion landscapes.⁠ ⁠ By supporting us at Lion Landscapes, you are supporting the maintenance of healthy and biodiverse landscapes. Be sure to follow us and be the first to see any new spots!

At Lion Landscapes, we believe that real progress in conservation comes from thoughtful, evidence-based discussions. This belief has been central to our work, whether we’re supporting communities in coexisting with wildlife or addressing the complexities of human-carnivore conflict. Recently, our joint CEO, Professor Amy Dickman, tackled an increasingly important issue in her latest article: how online hostility and personal attacks can derail meaningful conservation discussions and hinder the search for real solutions. In her piece, Amy highlights how polarising debates, particularly around controversial topics like trophy hunting, can quickly turn toxic when hate speech takes centre stage. Instead of fostering a space for open dialogue, conversations often shut down due to anger and personal attacks. This is harmful not only to conservation but also to the communities and wildlife we work to protect. Constructive conversations, rooted in facts and respect for different viewpoints, are essential to finding solutions that benefit both people and wildlife. Amy’s response calls for more of this – for creating spaces where debate can flourish without devolving into hostility. This blog post builds on our earlier piece, Courage and Complexity in Conservation , where we explored the bravery it takes to stand up for difficult conversations. Conservation, by its very nature, is filled with tough choices, competing priorities, and ethical challenges. It’s easy to be swept away by oversimplified narratives, but true progress comes from acknowledging and working through complexity. As Amy points out, these aren’t easy conversations, but they are necessary. By sharing Amy’s article, we hope to encourage a broader discussion on how we can engage in more productive, respectful conservation dialogue. The challenges we face as a conservation organisation – from managing human-wildlife conflict to ensuring the sustainability of ecosystems – are far too important to let them be derailed by online hostility. Now, more than ever, it’s crucial that we remain focused on evidence-based, solution-oriented discussions. As we continue our work at Lion Landscapes, we invite others to join us in promoting respectful and constructive conservation conversations. Whether you agree or disagree on specific approaches, the ultimate goal is to protect wildlife, support communities, and foster coexistence between people and nature. Let’s ensure that the focus remains on what really matters. Read Amy’s full article " Online hate hinders nuanced conservation debates — a call for a better way forward ". Stay in touch You can visit our website   and keep up to date on our work and research in Africa by subscribing to our general newsletter. Join us on Facebook , Instagram , X  and LinkedIn  for recent photos and stories from the field.

Discover how to stand up for lions, join our community, interact with our work, and tell the world! With just a few clicks, you can make a big difference to the lives of African lions and those living beside them. Today, African lions are classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN, with only 20.000 lions left in the wild, more than half of these wild lions remaining live in unprotected rangelands, shared with people and livestock. We work to protect all those people and wildlife living in lion landscapes, and our dedicated team of scientists, field biologists, researchers, rangers, and team in the field do an inspiring job. But to continue with this work we're dependent on your support! There are numerous ways you can help us, including those at no cost to you, so we thought we’d put them all in one place! Please read on to learn how you can support our programmes and help us save wild lions and promote coexistence. Shop Our Brand New Kids for Cubs Merchandise Bring African wildlife into your life by shopping products from our sustainable Lion Landscapes range in our brand new shop . We're now introducing the "Kids for Cubs" line for little humans. The perfect birthday present or baby shower gift for any nature and animal lover in the making! Every purchase promotes human-wildlife coexistence, supporting real-life conservation efforts by Lion Landscapes, helping to save vulnerable African lions whilst protecting community livelihoods in Africa. Look good, feel good! Shopping online in the UK: Amazon Smile and PayPal Giving It’s never been easier to support us when you shop online in the UK. For all our supporters who use amazon.co.uk, please use Smile.amazon.co.uk next time you shop and select Lion Landscapes as the charity of your choice. Every eligible purchase you make will result in a donation of 0.5% of the net purchase price to Lion Landscapes at no extra cost to you! It’s just as easy to support us when you pay with PayPal. Simply visit our Paypal page , scroll down and click to 'set as favourite charity' (above donation amounts) to turn the heart red. Once we are your favourite charity you can click to donate £1 when you checkout with @PayPal. Be a Lion Hero and set up your own fundraiser Have a birthday coming up, or just fancy running a race with purpose? Be a lion hero and create a Lion Landscapes Facebook fundraiser for your next athletic event or special occasion and raise money to support our conservation efforts. For the tech-savvy... Visit WildCards to “Buy” Jangili or Narok Lion Landscapes has partnered with WildCards to release two cards: Narok , our oldest monitored lioness and collared lion, and Jangili . At Wildcards, you can become the guardian of various animals, earn badges and rewards, and help support conservation on a global scale. Why do you need to be tech-savvy for this? Well, you have to pay with cryptocurrency! Narok Jangili Donate Directly By donating directly to Lion Landscapes, you are providing vital funds that are 100% used to support on the ground conservation projects. You can support our Collaring for Coexistence Programme with The Peregrine Fund at our donate page . Despite the Covid-19 restrictions, we do our utmost to help local communities in Laikipia co-exist with large carnivores. This video explains how we have adapted our programs to do so. Sign up to Befriend A Ranger As the pandemic continues to decimate conservation funds generated through the tourism industry, we are joining forces with the Ruaha Carnivore Project and BioCarbon Partners to raise funds for rangers across these programmes. Together, these heroes protect over 1 million hectares of prime lion landscape. For less than £1 a week, you can sign up to Befriend a Ranger and support these men and women protecting Livelihoods, Lions and Landscapes. Your donations can help provide vital kit, vehicle maintenance, ranger meals and even fund tracking patrols! Plus, you will receive a certificate and regular updates from your friends in the field. Buy Specific Essential Items for Lion Rangers Visit our amazon wishlist to buy essential field items. All these items, from backpacks to binoculars, help our field teams to continue protecting lions and local livelihoods. At checkout, choose the displayed Gift Registry Address of Lion Landscapes and we’ll make sure the products get to the field as soon as possible. Please include your email address on the gift slip so that we can thank you! Lion Ranger using his bottle, hat and backpack in the field. Tell the world! You can raise awareness of the problems lions are facing by sharing our research with your family and friends. Join the conversation, comment your thoughts and questions. Save, like and share our posts and invite your friends on social media to like us too. Join us on Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and LinkedIn This easy to do action is incredibly important to help us reach more people and raise awareness. Sharing is caring! And Keep Exploring! Keep learning about lions and stay up to date with our research and programmes by browsing our website and social media pages. Last but not least, join our community and sign up to our newsletter ! Thank you for your continuous support. If you have any questions about one of these ways to support us, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@lionlandscapes.org .

My name is Mary Burak and I am a PhD candidate at Yale University. I am an interdisciplinary scientist studying ecology, evolution, and conservation biology. I work in collaboration with Lion Landscapes to study lion connectivity across Laikipia, Kenya. I have always been fascinated by the trade-offs between wildlife conservation and land development, as well as human-wildlife conflict that can arise from this. How can these trade-offs be optimized to ensure the best outcome for both humans and wildlife? I view landscapes as checkerboards, and coexistence as the arrangement of different human and wildlife pieces in space. In my research, I use spatial and genetic data to understand where and how much lions are connected within Laikipia. We are specifically evaluating how landscape features – everything from water availability to human activity – helps, hinders, or has no effect on lion connectivity. The spatial data that I use includes collaring data as well as visual and spoor sightings reported by the Laikipia Lion Rangers in SMART. Genetic data for research is provided by the lion scat, collected by myself and numerous collaborators over the last two years. Perhaps some of you reading this have seen me on a Laikipia conservancy driving around in my tiny green Suzuki and carrying my trusty red bucket filled with rubber gloves and specimen tubes! Properties in Laikipia have been extremely kind in allowing me to sample for lion scat, and many individuals have helped me along the way. There have been many days spent circling and re-circling the collection area, filled with the smell of rotting carcasses and of course the smell of the scat! I’ve sampled opportunistically (morning drives looking for fresh scat on the roads) but most successfully at prey kill sites. Large buffalo or zebra kills can be easy to see, and I have been fortunate enough to collect anywhere from 5 to 12 different samples from each kill site! I’m happy to report that scat collection was completed prior to the impacts of COVID-19. I currently have more than 200 lion scat samples collected across 8+ Laikipia properties. For insurance, some of these scats are repeats from the same individual. Nevertheless, we are excitedly awaiting genetic results because this will be a large ecosystem-wide sample size! All of this spatial and genetic data helps to paint a picture of where lion connectivity corridors exist, the rate at which they are used, and the landscape features that most affect these corridors. In the end, this will help us to infer which situations can promote human-lion coexistence or ways in which we can proactively mitigate conflict. As you may have guessed, COVID-19 has unfortunately delayed this project. DNA analysis has been postponed as laboratories temporarily close, equipment deliveries are delayed, and offices significantly limit their number of occupants. I am currently working remotely from my home in the U.S. but am still progressing with research regarding Laikipia lions each day. I am currently assisting Lion Landscapes in their spatial analysis of lion collar data. The data will offer a spatial perspective to lion connectivity – an advantageous prefix to our genetic connectivity results. In the end, the spatial and genetic data provides both short-term (i.e., day-to-day) and long-term (i.e., over generations of lions) information which will paint a fuller picture of a coexistence landscape. In a strange twist of fate, this era of working from home has afforded me the opportunity to re-focus on the analytical tools I am using for my research. I have been able to learn about newer, cutting-edge statistical approaches. I have begun translating these statistical approaches into computer code, and am excitedly mapping out future analyses and continued applications of our data. Mainly, I am focusing on coding predictive models that can use our current lion data to predict future lion population and movement dynamics under different landscape scenarios. Thankfully, adjusted laboratory protocols are now being solidified and I optimistically hope to resume DNA analyses in 2021. While genetic analysis is normally a very prolonged process, I never quite imaged it taking this long thanks to COVID-19! As always, a big ‘thank you’ to everyone that is helping this project in any way, in any year that it has been carried out. While I had hoped there would have been some preliminary genetic results by now, I look forward to getting back into the laboratory and I can’t wait to share the results as soon as possible! Mary presenting her research at Pathways Conference in Limuru, Kenya, February 2020

During the first year of the Lion Rangers program, Lion Landscapes has been extremely busy training new Lion Ranger units in the area. As the program turns out to be in such demand, we have stretched our resources to train three more units than we set out to do in our first year. As a result we have eight Lion Ranger Units in Laikipia and we are currently fundraising to deploy one more Lion Ranger Unit as soon as possible. The Lion Rangers program is part of the Coexistence Co-op, a partnership between Lion Landscapes and The Peregrine Fund, carried out in collaboration with Living With Lions, KWS and Laikipia Ranches and Conservancies. It is a holistic education, training and conflict management program designed to reduce livestock lost to carnivores and stop the retaliatory poisoning of wildlife. The Lion Rangers program works to train and equip a unit of selected National Police Reserves on each property to prevent or respond quickly and effectively to incidences of human-carnivore conflict, including responding to cases of potential wildlife poisoning. Training new Lion Rangers runs over four full days: Day one aims to teach large carnivore identification and basic ecology, with lectures in the morning run by our dedicated Lion Landscapes training team. The afternoon then involves a game drive to help reinforce all that is taught in the morning. The curiosity and enthusiasm for new information among the recruits is always exciting. Often stories are swapped between recruits about their different experiences of large carnivores; many Lion Rangers are pastoralists and own livestock or have been herdsmen, meaning they are only too familiar with conflict between livestock and large carnivores. Day two is comprised of conflict prevention and mitigation in the form of Livestock Husbandry and boma (protective livestock enclosures) advice. During the morning lessons, the rangers are taught how to maintain predator-proof bomas, and are given other effective livestock husbandry techniques that protect livestock from large carnivores. During the theoretical part of the day, we tackle the broader issues that contribute to conflict e.g. managing overall ecosystem health so there are enough wild prey for large carnivores. The group practises conducting compassionate conversations with community members facing conflict by using role-playing exercises so that both perspectives are really understood. This is then backed up by a practical session in the afternoon where the rangers practice giving advice on boma construction. We use a game to help them see the weakest points in a livestock boma that need improving. During the game a third of the group are night watchmen, another third sheep and the final third pretend to be lion who try to get into the boma and steal a sheep. Though this is always a lot of fun, the lessons learnt from thinking like a lion, and imagining how a lion would find the weakest points of a boma, really reinforces what is taught in the lectures. Day three is the day we focus on data collection using the cybertracker plugin of SMART on smartphones. The day involves practising collecting data on all aspects of wildlife ecology, conflict incidences and other useful management information. The importance of collecting data that can inform conservation managers and help us all to improve our conservation activities is emphasised. Day four is run by our partner, The Peregrine Fund. This final day focuses on the negative aspects of poison, how to identify it and respond to poisoning reports. The increasing use of poisons is mostly in response to livestock losses to lions in the region and poses a serious threat to lions, critically endangered vultures, all other scavenging mammals and birds, as well as to human and livestock health due to environmental exposure.  The Lion Ranger teams are then equipped with technologies (e.g. smart phones, binoculars, GPS and powerful torches) to assist them in theirconflict prevention role, and collect data monitored by our research team. We now have eight Lion Ranger teams on different ranches and conservancies in Laikipia including Loisaba, El Karama, Mugie, Mpala, Ol Maisor, Lewa, Borana and Sosian.  If you have any questions about our Lion Ranger program please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@lionlandscapes.org Any donation to our Lion Ranger Program is very much appreciated. If you would like to make a donation to our Lion Ranger program please click here.

Narok resting in the heat of the day. Photograph by Ami Vitale “If we cannot measure it, we cannot manage it, for how can we conserve what we do not know” ~Dr. John Waithaka—KWS Board Chairman at the official launch of Kenya’s National Lion Survey About the survey Lions are one of the most iconic species on earth. Yet lions are in trouble: they have lost 90% of their historic range and their numbers are thought to be declining rapidly with half of all wild lions estimated to have been lost in the past 25 years and with as few as 20,000 remaining in Africa. At the heart of conservation is population monitoring: Conducting surveys is the best way of ‘taking stock’ and trying to assess whether or not our conservation efforts are having the desired effect. Knowing how many there are and where they are allows us to plan and prioritize conservation interventions and monitor their progress. No country in Africa has ever conducted a national survey of lions, or any other predator. The Kenyan government, together with numerous NGOs, is trying to change this. In a hugely ambitious exercise, we aim to count lions within all source populations and assess their presence or absence throughout the country. While lions are the focus of the survey, we are gathering data on all predators and for Laikipia we are also particularly interested in cheetah and wild dog numbers and distribution. 77,595 km² will be intensively surveyed to provide accurate estimates of lion numbers in all potential source populations. Teams of researchers will search for and individually identify lions, using a standardized, cutting edge methodology . 580,367 km² will be surveyed by through > 3500 interviews with local experts. These data will be analyzed to assess distribution of lions and other large carnivores throughout Kenya. How you can help Right now, multiple teams of trained personnel are working in laikipia to find and photograph as many lions as possible. With only three months to conduct each survey, it’s a race against time. In this area we are also trying to count the cheetahs and wild dogs, so please keep a look out for all three predators. Here’s what you can do to help: 1. Report the sighting ASAP Lion on Loisaba Conservancy Ideally one of the trained teams will attend the sighting to take photos and record additional data. So a quick report of your lion, cheetah or wild dog sighting would be extremely helpful. Even repeat sightings of the same individuals are useful. Ask your guide to report the sighting to the local survey team (your guide should know who they are) or to Antonia Leckie on +254 793 790 233, or Thomas Mojong on +254 707 154539. 2. Take and share photos The types of photographs we need to ID Lion It may take time for a survey team to arrive. In the meantime, please take as many pictures as possible of any lions, cheetahs and wild dogs you see. Remember to have the date and GPS correctly set on your camera. Key tips to make your photos usable are to focus on one individual at a time and take a picture of the ground or sky when switching to a new individual. For wild dog and cheetah, full body side shots of both sides are best. For lions please see our guide for taking ID pictures below. If your camera doesn’t have a GPS, ask your guide for a rough location and make a note. Photos and info can be sent to: info@lionlandscapes.org

A collared lioness in Laikipia More than half of the world’s remaining lion range is shared with people and livestock. People represent the major threat to lions in these areas, killing them directly through legal hunting or illegal poaching, or in defence of livestock, and by removing vital wild prey or destroying important habitat. Although counter-intuitive when considering a top predator, it is actually not surprising that many lions are deeply afraid of people. It is this fear of people coupled with lions’ ability to be flexible in their behaviour, however, that allows lions and people to co-exist. Lions can learn and change their behaviour to avoid detection by people. This vital flexibility in behaviour they exhibit, however, normally involves a trade-off. For example, avoiding areas occupied by people might help reduce a lion’s chance of being killed but permanently avoiding such areas can also limit access to valuable resources. Our previous research revealed that lions showed some use of areas near guarded livestock encampments - known as bomas in East Africa - at night when people are most likely to be inside their houses and sleeping. What we could not determine was exactly how lions were using these areas around bomas. Our past GPS collar data showed us where a lion was at hourly intervals, and how long it took a lion to get from one point to another. We could see that bomas affected lion movements from over 1.5 km away; lions sped up when approaching a boma and then appeared reluctant to leave, but were they feeding on wild prey? Were they resting? Both of these are beneficial activities. Or were lions simply being drawn in by the inaccessible livestock guarded in bomas, and lying there licking their lips in nervous frustration? The latter could waste valuable energy whilst providing little returns at best, and be risky at worst. A herdsman in his boma with his herd of cows Advances in technology and a large collaborative effort between Lion Landscapes, the University of California, Living With Lions and Ewaso Lions made answering these questions possible. Lions were fitted with a collar that works like a Fitbit, collecting many thousands of 3-dimensional data points a day. After analysis, this data allowed the team to distinguish between different but similar behaviours, such as feeding/sleeping/resting but alert. In short, we were able to see not only where the lions were at any one time, but also more accurately map what they were doing. An example 24-h movement path from a single lion from Suraci et al 2019. Five-minute GPS locations (points) are colored based on the lion’s behavioral state. The location of an active boma (black cross) is shown. The Fitbit type data sets from 14 lions collected in this study were huge and unprecedented in the amount of detail they gave us but we also combined them with other data sets; all potential kill sites were visited by field teams, creating a large database on collared lion hunting success across the landscape. We also mapped habitat structure and the nighttime location of bomas so we could measure at any time of the night where collared lions were in relation to livestock herds. We expected that collared lions’ use of areas around bomas would be limited, and when they did use these areas, we expected that they would remain wary, possibly hunting and feeding less, even during the night when people were not active. What the data revealed, however, was quite different. During the day, when the chance of encountering people was highest, lions did indeed avoid habitat within 2 km of a boma. At night, when the chance of encountering a person was much lower because people were confined to their houses and asleep, lions tended to choose habitat within 2 km of a boma. This supported findings in our earlier research but what were lions doing close to bomas at night? Interestingly lions choose to hunt wild prey and feed more often at night near a boma than any other habitat or time, taking into account the proportion of availability. This may not sound like much but it is encouraging news because it indicates that lions are even more adept at making the most of areas occupied by people than we thought. In fact, study lions seemed to actively access the resources in those areas whenever people were not active. Herds man walking his cows back to a boma As the human population continues to grow, even this flexibility shown by lions will be sorely tested but findings in this paper give hope. Areas around bomas are possibly not the negative void in the landscape for lions we feared they might be. If we can ensure that lions have safe havens (e.g. thick bush or steep rocky slopes) to hide and rest in during the day when areas close to bomas are unsafe, if we can make sure that livestock are well guarded to prevent lions killing them, and if we can keep enough wild prey, then lions can and will do what it takes to survive. For access to the full paper ‘Behaviour-specific habitat selection by African lions may promote their persistence in a human-dominated landscape’ and to learn how lions are better at surviving around people than we thought, please click here .

When you think about lions in the wild, what comes to mind? Perhaps images of great prides roaring across a pristine savanna teeming with wild prey like zebra, wildebeest, and giraffe. While some lions might live this lux lifestyle, most share space with human and domestic animal neighbours. Coexistence among people, livestock, and lions has existed for millennia, but as with all neighbours, conflicts do arise. Lions may prey upon livestock for food or people may kill lions to protect their livestock. These interactions have serious implications for lion conservation, human livelihoods, and environmental well-being.   Understanding interactions among lions, livestock, and people in shared landscapes is critically important, but also very challenging! Within each of these three groups exists a huge diversity of identities, preferences, and experiences that can affect how they all interact. Do some lion individuals prefer hunting cattle instead of buffalo? Do women and men differ in their attitudes toward or experiences with lions? Not all people or animals are the same, of course!   To explore human-lion interactions at a deeper level, we needed detailed information about the day-to-day lives of as many individuals as possible. Lions and livestock aren’t very interested in having a chat over tea though, so in Laikipia, Kenya, we’re using another technique to learn about their lives: biologging.   Biologging bling: lion Fitbits and livestock earrings If you’ve ever worn a smartwatch, you’re already familiar with the concept of biologging – using small, body-borne devices to record data about an individual’s movements, physiology, and surroundings. You can track the miles covered and calories burned during your morning run using your watch or phone; we can do something similar with lions and livestock using other devices.   For lions, we use SMART collars – Species Movement, Acceleration, and Radio Tracking, that is. These collars collect GPS location and other data at regular intervals, showing where lions go and what they’re doing. In northern Laikipia, an incredible vet team from Kenya Wildlife Service has helped put collars on 11 new lions this year, bringing the total here to four males and 11 females collared. Data from these collars are not only shedding light on how different lions live in this complex landscape, but also helping pastoralists keep their livestock safe from lion predation. Another cool thing about SMART collars: when it’s time for them to come off, we can remove them via remote control without having to bother the lion at all! A lioness with a SMART collar looking toward a potential breakfast of zebra. (Photo credit: Lucrecia Aguilar) Instead of collars, cattle get ear tags. Putting ID tags on the stiff ears of cattle is common practice in ranching, but these smart tags go a step further. Each ear tag has a tiny solar panel that powers the transmission of GPS points and activity data every few hours, allowing us to remotely track a cow’s movement. The information gathered by these GPS ear tags is invaluable for conservation research, human-carnivore conflict mitigation, and livestock management alike. Earlier this year, we collaborated with six pastoralist communities and three conservancy ranches to deploy 100 ear tags. Some tags have even helped owners find lost herds! Cattle showing off their new ear piercings. (Photo credit: Lucrecia Aguilar / Summer Smentek)   The longer these lion collars and livestock tags are out in the field – and the more we can deploy – the more overlap we get in lion and livestock data. This will enable us to explore how individual lions and cattle herds interact, as well as why some interactions lead to conflict. GPS locations from a lion collar and cattle ear tag showing close proximity at a farm.   What about people? Cattle aren’t just roaming across Laikipia by themselves; people are there, too. How one person lives in and uses their landscape isn’t necessarily the same as another person, though. People with different identities and social roles – like gender, socioeconomic status, or occupation – may use their environments in especially distinct ways. For example, a woman who runs a convenience store in town goes to very different places during a day than a man who herds his family’s cattle does. These differences, in turn, can lead to different levels and types of interactions with wildlife like lions. Unfortunately, the experiences and needs of underserved groups such as women or people of colour have often been overlooked in conservation – we’re trying to change that.   Over the past two years, we have collaborated with community leaders and social scientists in developing a plan to better understand how people with diverse identities interact with lions in northern Laikipia. The plan has two main parts: 1) phone location tracking, and 2) social surveys.   For those who would like to participate, we will turn on location tracking on smartphones to understand how different groups of people use the landscapes they share with lions. Our survey team will also interview community members one-on-one to learn about their attitudes, experiences, and behaviours regarding both lions and conservation. We appreciate everyone who has decided to participate in this work so far and make sure to keep their data secure! We’re excited to see how this research might help expand whose voices are heard in conservation.    Meeting with interested community members, Lion Landscapes staff, and my student research team. (Photo credit: Alfred Kibungei) Scaling up Individual biologging is great for looking at fine-scale interactions in real time – but what about the big, long-term picture? Better predicting and preventing conflicts before they happen could give human-lion coexistence a major boost. We hope to do just that by combining data from lions, livestock, and people with landscape mapping.   These aren’t your standard road trip maps. The Davies Lab at Harvard University surveys landscapes using state-of-the-art sensors flown on drones, producing extremely detailed maps that show colour, temperature, and 3D structure. Imagine something like Google Maps Street View but for natural ecosystems. These drone-based surveys provide information on everything from vegetation to microclimates to roads. By mapping the areas in Laikipia that collared lions, tagged cattle, and human participants use, we’ll try to pinpoint conflict hotspots and direct help to where it’s needed most. Flying over Mpala Research Center with drone-based remote sensors to map the landscape. (Photo credit: Peter Boucher)   About the Author Lucrecia K. Aguilar is a PhD candidate in the Davies Lab at Harvard University working with Lion Landscapes in Laikipia, Kenya. She aims to improve the well-being of diverse human and wildlife communities by researching human-carnivore coexistence and supporting equitable conservation.

Lion Landscapes and the Ruaha Carnivore Project have joined forces in an effort to build more collaborative conservation, scaling up efforts to stop the loss of wildlife, reduce the cost of living with large carnivores and unlock the value of wildlife to local people. We have merged to form a new, combined organisation including all our existing programmes, under the name Lion Landscapes. The organisation, which will work in key landscapes across Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia, will be jointly led by Dr Alayne Cotterill and Dr Amy Dickman, who have championed collaborative conservation for years and are two of the six co-founders of the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance. Moving forwards together as Lion Landscapes. Photo by Solomon Opodo Lions are our flagship species, but our conservation work focuses on so much more than lions. We aim to help secure flourishing Lion Landscapes, which can support top predators, because they have a healthy habitat, thriving biodiversity (including prey) and people willing to tolerate large carnivores. Healthy ‘lion landscapes’ are also vital for many other species. Why merge? Over the past year, Lion Landscapes and the Ruaha Carnivore Project have been collaborating and working together ever more closely to standardise and scale up our approaches across sites. The more we collaborated, the more we realised there was a huge opportunity for us to combine forces, become more efficient and increase our conservation impact. There really is no time to waste: lions and many other species are declining very quickly, while conservation often fails to truly benefit or empower local people. We are excited to bring together all our combined expertise, knowledge and partnerships, to help build a better future of more effective, equitable conservation. School feeding in Malinzanga. Unlocking the value of living alongside large carnivores by directly tying their presence to community benefits is a key pillar of our approach. This work takes the skills, knowledge and passion of many team members in all our sites - please do learn more about them here . It would also not be possible without all our donors, supporters and friends around the world. Thank you all for your continued support, and we are thrilled to have you with us as we enter this exciting new phase. Please keep following us to hear more about our plans together, and learn more about the work of the new Lion Landscapes. To learn more, watch the interview with the new Lion Landscapes Co-Founders and CEOs below!