Conservation News May 2022 / Bewaringsnuus Mei 2022
Lion Management: Our conservation manager represents SA Hunters on the Lion Working Group of SA, which is involved with the implementation of the Lion Biodiversity Management Plan this month. It is estimated that there are about 30,000 wild lions currently in Africa. Lion is listed regionally as least concern on the 2016 Red List Assessment and is on the Threatened and Protected Species (TOPS) list in terms of Section 56 (1) of NEMBA. Wild populations only occur in Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi, and Mapungubwe National Park, while 58 reserves have wild-managed populations. Wild lion populations in SA are healthy and growth is only limited by the lack of available suitable habitat for free ranging populations.