Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation
Abstract Mismatches between conservation action and conservation needs have been highlighted for diverse species. Lion (Panthera leo) conservation is no exception, raising the question of whether current conservation strategies are always adequate to ensure the long‐term persistence of threatened ta...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Conservation Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12949 |
| _version_ | 1827958584059625472 |
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| author | Fleur Visser Marine Drouilly Yoshan Moodley Johan R. Michaux Michael J. Somers |
| author_facet | Fleur Visser Marine Drouilly Yoshan Moodley Johan R. Michaux Michael J. Somers |
| author_sort | Fleur Visser |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Mismatches between conservation action and conservation needs have been highlighted for diverse species. Lion (Panthera leo) conservation is no exception, raising the question of whether current conservation strategies are always adequate to ensure the long‐term persistence of threatened taxa. To investigate the representation of different lion Evolutionary Significant Units in field research, captive populations, funding allocation, and education, we carried out a literature review and sent an online questionnaire to zoos worldwide. Over 75% of the publications focused on southern and eastern African populations. Uplisting the West African lion to Critically Endangered did not change this result. We received 88 responses from zoos, which reported 346 lions in 83 zoos. Only 14 individuals have West and Central African origins. Over 70% of the respondents reported that they do not include any information on the conservation status or taxonomy of lions from West and Central Africa in their education programs. The minority of zoos funding in situ lion projects did so in Eastern and Southern Africa. We provide recommendations to encourage role‐players involved in lion and other threatened species conservation to address this mismatch by shifting some of their attention and funding to West and Central Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:38:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6779a59d67184e30b753a12ee712b03a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1755-263X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T15:38:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-6779a59d67184e30b753a12ee712b03a2023-04-27T14:50:58ZengWileyConservation Letters1755-263X2023-03-01162n/an/a10.1111/conl.12949Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservationFleur Visser0Marine Drouilly1Yoshan Moodley2Johan R. Michaux3Michael J. Somers4Department of Zoology and EntomologyMammal Research InstituteUniversity of Pretoria PretoriaSouth AfricaPanthera New YorkUSADepartment of ZoologyUniversity of Venda ThohoyandouSouth AfricaConservation Genetics LaboratoryUniversity of Liège LiègeBelgiumDepartment of Zoology and EntomologyMammal Research InstituteUniversity of Pretoria PretoriaSouth AfricaAbstract Mismatches between conservation action and conservation needs have been highlighted for diverse species. Lion (Panthera leo) conservation is no exception, raising the question of whether current conservation strategies are always adequate to ensure the long‐term persistence of threatened taxa. To investigate the representation of different lion Evolutionary Significant Units in field research, captive populations, funding allocation, and education, we carried out a literature review and sent an online questionnaire to zoos worldwide. Over 75% of the publications focused on southern and eastern African populations. Uplisting the West African lion to Critically Endangered did not change this result. We received 88 responses from zoos, which reported 346 lions in 83 zoos. Only 14 individuals have West and Central African origins. Over 70% of the respondents reported that they do not include any information on the conservation status or taxonomy of lions from West and Central Africa in their education programs. The minority of zoos funding in situ lion projects did so in Eastern and Southern Africa. We provide recommendations to encourage role‐players involved in lion and other threatened species conservation to address this mismatch by shifting some of their attention and funding to West and Central Africa.https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12949Central Africaeducationex situin situlionPanthera leo |
| spellingShingle | Fleur Visser Marine Drouilly Yoshan Moodley Johan R. Michaux Michael J. Somers Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation Conservation Letters Central Africa education ex situ in situ lion Panthera leo |
| title | Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation |
| title_full | Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation |
| title_fullStr | Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation |
| title_short | Mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from West and Central Africa in in situ and ex situ conservation |
| title_sort | mismatch between conservation needs and actual representation of lions from west and central africa in in situ and ex situ conservation |
| topic | Central Africa education ex situ in situ lion Panthera leo |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12949 |
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