Namibia: African Lion Tops Etosha Conference

BY JANA-MARI SMITH, 2 FEBRUARY 2012
THE NAMIBIAN

A LANDMARK conference addressing the survival of Africa's biggest carnivore, the African lion, will take place over two days at Etosha National Park this month.

The African Lion Working Group (ALWG) conference will be attended by 34 delegates from around the globe on February 10 and 11.

According to Tammy Hoth, the director of the AfriCat Foundation which is organising the event on behalf of the ALWG, the delegates convening in Namibia's world-famous park are all involved in lion conservation, research, human-wildlife conflict mitigation and other areas which address the plight of the survival of the African lion.

She said the conference will provide a platform for delegates to "share experiences and valuable research on one of the most vulnerable of carnivores on our continent. The ultimate goal is to ensure the long-term survival of the wild lion in its natural habitat".

According to the ALWG, in 1975 the number of free-ranging lions in sub-Saharan Africa was roughly estimated at 200 000.

At the end of the 20th century, numbers had dwindled to below 100 000 and by 2005 population counts concluded that the numbers had plummeted to between 16 500 and 47 132.

The ALWG was formed in October 1999 in response to the shocking revelation of the fast decline of lions roaming the wilderness. Since then the organisation has grown from 15 members to 76 today.

The ALWG conference in Etosha will also host presenters who will share information and discuss methods that result in "improved population monitoring and protection of people, livestock and lions simultaneously".

Overall, the conference is intended to place emphasis on the future of the African lion "and how the conservation of the African lion should be addressed to not only improve conservation but hopefully to turn around the whole downhill trend of lion population numbers".