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Cited by 146Wildlife Ecology and ConservationConservation, Ecology, Wildlife EducationConservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management

The Lion in West Africa Is Critically Endangered

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Henschel, Philipp, Coad, Lauren, Burton, Cole, Chataigner, Beatrice, Dunn, Andrew, MacDonald, David, Saidu, Yohanna, Hunter, Luke T. B.·2014·PLoS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0083500PMC PMC3885426
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Abstract

The African lion has declined to <35,000 individuals occupying 25% of its historic range. The situation is most critical for the geographically isolated populations in West Africa, where the species is considered regionally endangered. Elevating their conservation significance, recent molecular studies establish the genetic distinctiveness of West and Central African lions from other extant African populations. Interventions to save West African lions are urgently required. However formulating effective conservation strategies has been hampered by a lack of data on the species' current distribution, status, and potential management deficiencies of protected areas (PAs) harboring lions. Our study synthesized available expert opinion and field data to close this knowledge gap, and formulate recommendations for the conservation of West African lions. We undertook lion surveys in 13 large (>500 km²) PAs and compiled evidence of lion presence/absence for a further eight PAs. All PAs were situated within Lion Conservation Units, geographical units designated as priority lion areas by wildlife experts at a regional lion conservation workshop in 2005. Lions were confirmed in only 4 PAs, and our results suggest that only 406 (273-605) lions remain in West Africa, representing <250 mature individuals. Confirmed lion range is estimated at 49,000 km², or 1.1% of historical range in West Africa. PAs retaining lions were larger than PAs without lions and had significantly higher management budgets. We encourage revision of lion taxonomy, to recognize the genetic distinctiveness of West African lions and highlight their potentially unique conservation value. Further, we call for listing of the lion as critically endangered in West Africa, under criterion C2a(ii) for populations with <250 mature individuals. Finally, considering the relative poverty of lion range states in West Africa, we call for urgent mobilization of investment from the international community to assist range states to increase management effectiveness of PAs retaining lions.

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Authors
Henschel, P., Coad, L., Burton, C., Chataigner, B., Dunn, A., MacDonald, D., Saidu, Y., & Hunter, L. T. B.
Affiliations
  • Panthera Corporation (US)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Wildlife Conservation Society (US)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Henschel, Philipp
ORCID
Venue
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2014-01-08
Volume
9
Issue
1
Pages
e83500
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0083500
PMC
PMC3885426
OpenAlex
W1975003353
Cited by
146
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 8
FWCI
14.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Panthera
  • National Geographic Society
  • Robertson Foundation
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Conservation, Ecology, Wildlife Education
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
Keywords
African lion, leopard, West Africa, critically endangered species, population decline (ecology), protected area management, genetic distinctness, IUCN Red List, conservation status
MeSH terms
Africa, Western, Animals, Budgets, Conservation of Natural Resources, Data Collection, Geography, Lions, Population Dynamics, Predatory Behavior, Endangered Species

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