The Lion Queen: reducing human-lion conflict in Southern Tanzania 

The Ruaha and Selous landscapes of southern Tanzania

Lions will only survive if conservationists develop innovative strategies where the benefits of living alongside them outweigh the dangers and cost – and that’s what our long-standing colleague and recent PTES Conservation Partner Amy Dickman is doing with great success across swathes of East Africa. 

Southern Tanzania is a critically important, but under-studied and under-resourced area for large African carnivores, especially lions, African wild dogs, cheetahs and leopards. Specifically, the Ruaha and Selous landscapes of southern Tanzania are two of the most important landscapes left for lions. Despite their importance, these areas have largely been overlooked in terms of carnivore conservation. For instance, dedicated research on Ruaha’s carnivores only began in 2009, compared to the 1970s in the Serengeti, and Selous currently lacks any such project. These key lion populations face significant threats, especially from intense human-carnivore conflict, with high levels of carnivore killing on village land south of Ruaha National Park. In-depth research by Amy revealed that conflict is driven by livestock depredation, but also by deeper-rooted antagonism because wildlife imposes high costs and generates few or no benefits to local communities. Since 2009, Lion Landscapes (LL) (originally known locally as the Ruaha Carnivore Project, RCP) with the support of PTES, has worked to reduce the costs and improve the benefits associated with carnivore presence on village land, and engage villagers as key partners in conservation. 

Community empowerment

For the last five years, PTES has funded the Lion Landscapes Conserving Large Carnivores through Community Empowerment project. This initiative uses a multifaceted approach to improve the cost-benefit ratio of wildlife presence for local communities, as well as engaging them in conservation, providing reliable carnivore data for planning, and sharing expertise on conflict mitigation. 

The project has achieved significant success. Data collected on human-carnivore conflict provided insights into conflict hotspots and species responsible for livestock depredation. The installation of fortified livestock enclosures led to a remarkable 94% reduction in livestock losses. Community benefit systems, including the ‘porridge project’ (providing nutritious porridge during the school day so the children can concentrate and learn) and performance-payment approaches, successfully engaged communities and reduced conflict-related carnivore killings. Evidence from attitude surveys indicates a notable increase in the desire for lion populations to either remain stable or increase. Educational materials like films and children’s books have helped raise awareness and foster positive attitudes towards wildlife conservation. 

Expanding conservation efforts

The next steps for Lion Landscapes involve sustaining and scaling up the impacts achieved so far. This will be achieved through maintaining and expanding conservation efforts, including the implementation of effective strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, such as fortified livestock enclosures and community engagement initiatives.

In addition, collaboration with government agencies, conservation organisations, and local communities will be crucial for the future conservation of these species. This may involve advocating for the implementation of evidence-based conservation policies and practices at regional and national levels, as well as working together to develop and carry out conservation action plans and habitat protection measures. 

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Header image credit Lorenzo Rossi