LIONS may soon become extinct in large parts of Africa. According to a
commission set up under the auspices of the World Conservation Union (IUCN),
there is not a single population of lions in West or Central Africa that is
large enough to be viable.
Although there are thousands of lions in East Africa, little is known about
the numbers in countries such as Cameroon, Mali and Senegal. In June, Hans Bauer
of Leiden University in the Netherlands helped to organise a meeting of IUCN
members working with lions in Cameroon to pool knowledge about how many there
are. A report of the meeting will be published on the Internet at
www.african-lion.org in two weeks鈥� time.
There have been virtually no long-term studies of lions in the region. 鈥淭he
figures are estimates based on being in the field from time to time,鈥� says
Bauer. But for a population of lions to have enough genetic diversity to sustain
itself without inbreeding, biologists estimate that it must contain around 100
breeding pairs, which means between 500 and 1000 animals in total.
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But none of the populations in the region has anywhere near this number of
animals. The two largest populations, in the Benoue area of Cameroon and on the
Senegal-Mali-Guinea border, have around 200 lions each. There are also about a
dozen smaller populations, with around 50 lions each.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a serious situation,鈥� says Bauer. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not one population that we
can be sure will continue to be there.鈥� And Will Travers of the Born Free
Foundation in London says, 鈥淚t might seem like there are a lot of lions, but
they have become a completely fragmented population.鈥�
Part of the problem is that lions are not generally thought of as being at
risk. 鈥淣othing is being done in West and central Africa,鈥� says Bauer. 鈥淭here is
no research and no specific conservation.鈥� A spokeswoman for the WWF says the
conservation organisation does not work with lions 鈥渂ecause they are not
别苍诲补苍驳别谤别诲鈥�.
One major reason for the lions鈥� decline is that as agriculture spreads, they
are squeezed into small and isolated tracts of land. Lions need huge areas to
hunt鈥攂etween 20 and 200 square kilometres for a single male鈥攕o even
a national park of several hundred square kilometres cannot support a large
population, while lions that stray over the borders come up against local people
and their livestock.
But Travers says it鈥檚 vital not to give up hope. 鈥淲e shouldn鈥檛 allow this
depressing news to be a signal that it鈥檚 all over for lions in these countries,鈥�
he says. 鈥淭he lion is the symbol of Africa. If these countries can no longer say
鈥榃e鈥檝e got lions鈥�, that will be a significant disincentive for wildlife
迟辞耻谤颈蝉迟蝉.鈥�
Bauer says that trouble for the lions could be a warning that the ecosystem
as a whole is under threat. 鈥淭he lion is a keystone species,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a
signal鈥攖he fact that lions are threatened now could mean that other
species might be threatened in 20 to 30 years time.鈥�