In Tanzania, Researchers Work with Local Communities to Connect African Lion Populations Across Different Protected Areas

Chicago (February 13, 2025) – New research published this month in Conservation Science and Practice highlights how human-lion coexistence initiatives are imperative to the health and conservation of African lion populations in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). The study, co-led by Lincoln Park Zoo’s Alexander Center for Applied Population Biology and Ngorongoro Lion Research/KopeLion, analyzed over 50 years of observational data and 11 years of movement data from GPS collars to identify how healthy lion populations depend on safe pathways between protected areas, facilitated by collaboration with local communities.

As global human populations continue to grow, wildlife is increasingly isolated to relatively small protected areas. This has measurable negative effects on animal populations, causing rapid loss of genetic diversity which may lead to inbreeding in these isolated groups. The African lion population in the NCA is further threatened by human-lion confrontation in the multi-use areas these carnivores must traverse to get between the protected areas of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Ndutu region, which is continuous with the iconic Serengeti National Park. In these unprotected multi-use areas in between, Maasai people and their herds of sheep, goats, and cattle live alongside wildlife. When lions prey on livestock, retaliatory killings are not uncommon.

In this new study, Lincoln Park Zoo conservationists and KopeLion used 14 years of data to document the positive impacts of KopeLion’s long-term conservation work. In 2011, KopeLion started in the NCA with a focus of expanding lion monitoring and engaging local communities to reduce conflict with lions in the unprotected landscapes they are moving through. The program’s scope grew in 2014 to employ Ilchokuti (“guardian of livestock” in the local Maa language)—a network of lion guardians who protect the people, livestock, and lions of this area.

Ilchokuti are pastoralists, and many had previously participated in lion hunts. In their new role with KopeLion, Ilchokuti use their identification and tracking skills to protect the animals they once hunted. Their respected position among local communities allows them to promote harm reduction alternatives to retaliatory lion hunting. This includes treating livestock that were injured by predators, reinforcing pastoralist homesteads with protective corrals, retrieving lost livestock, and using GPS tracking of collared lions to alert communities of lions in the area. They also help mediate concerns and de-escalate tensions following a lion attack.

“While we as conservationists might feel that protection of lions is essential, there’s a limit to what we can reasonably ask of communities when these carnivores may be directly threatening people’s lives, livelihoods, and wellbeing,” said Lisa Faust, Ph.D., Senior Director of Population Ecology at Lincoln Park Zoo and co-author of the study. “KopeLion has developed meaningful ways to reduce the burden on the people who live alongside them, and it’s a model that can be sustainable long-term. Together, we’re creating safe pathways for lions to roam, as well as concrete solutions to the threats lions pose to their human neighbors.”

An illustration of these safe migratory pathways is the lion Laramasi-A. Named for his thick mane (“laramasi” is a term for someone with a lot of hair in the local Maa language), this male was first spotted by KopeLion in 2022, in a human-lion multiuse valley nestled between the protected areas of the Ndutu region and Ngorongoro Crater. Two years later, Laramasi-A was spotted again, this time in the Crater Highlands with two females whose mother was from the Crater. If Laramasi-A and these females successfully produce cubs, the movement of his genes 20 miles across the landscape will help improve the genetic diversity of the lion population and mitigate the chances of health defects for their offspring due to inbreeding.

“KopeLion’s work has been instrumental in stabilizing and increasing local lion populations in the NCA by enabling coexistence between people and lions,” said Ololotu Munka, the Executive Director of KopeLion. “Through our community-led model, we’ve reduced conflict, enhanced lion monitoring, and restored lion connectivity across the NCA and other bordering areas like Maswa and Serengeti. These efforts not only protect lions but also support pastoralist communities in safeguarding their livelihoods. We are happy that this publication highlights how this model is successfully working.”

In a world where growing human populations are increasingly seen as a threat to wildlife, this study offers hope and a potential framework for coexistence. The research highlights that when the Ilchokuti program first launched in 2014, lion killings went from a peak of 13 in 2016 to zero by 2021, despite an increase in livestock attacks that might have previously resulted in retaliation. During this time, additional communities also asked to be involved with the project, prompting an expansion of Ilchokuti activities. As a result, research indicated a significant increase in lion movement across the greater NCA and GPS tracking showed that lions were regularly traversing the multi-use areas being patrolled by Ilchokuti.

There is a clear interest from locals in coexistence management plans, as it benefits both humans and lions alike. However, this study also indicates that there’s a threshold to how much local communities are willing to tolerate before reverting to retaliatory practices. A combination of severe drought and increasing pressure from new people and their livestock moving into the multi-use area prompted a spike in livestock attacks in 2022, resulting in the retaliatory killing of 10 lions, before levels dropped again in 2023. According to the study, this spike highlights the unpredictable nature of the conservation landscape and illustrates the need for continued work in the NCA, as well as areas for potential growth in the Ilchokuti program.

This study was made possible through collaboration of Lincoln Park Zoo, KopeLion, Umeå University, the School for Field Studies, The University of Minnesota, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

Read the full paper The benefits of inclusive conservation for connectivity of lions across the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania in Conservation Science and Practice here.

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