Shrinking lion numbers in Africa
Why in News?
The Study by Journal Nature Communications highlighted the concerns with respect to the population of Lions lying well below the carrying capacity across 62 geographic locations of African countries which also have socio-economic connotation to that.
What are the Key Highlights
- The study Socio-political and ecological fragility of threatened, free-ranging African lion populations, published in journal Nature Communications, observed that “Somalia was the most fragile lion range country, followed by Sudan.”
- The threatened species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) were estimated to be between 20,000 and 25,000 in number and may be declining, the report said.
- Lions may have been extirpated from about 92 per cent of their historical ranges,it estimated, adding a 36 per cent decline in species range has been witnessed over the past 21 years.
- “On average, lions were estimated to be at around 33.3 per cent (range 1.9 per cent-328.2 per cent) of predicted carrying capacity,” it stated.
- The research observed that southern African countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia have recorded an increase of population by 12 per cent between 1993 and 2014. But the remaining lion habitats have seen a decline by 60 per cent, especially in west and central Africa.
Protection Status:
- Asiatic Lion – Endangered.
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
- Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule I
- CITES: Appendix I for populations of India, all other populations are included in Appendix II.
- Scientific Name: Panthera leo
Source – The Hindu
