World Lion Day: The communities living with lions
Conservationists in Africa are implementing innovative strategies to mitigate human-wildlife conflict as lion populations continue to decline. Initiatives include community-led guardian programs in Zimbabwe and GPS-based real-time alert systems in Botswana to protect both livestock and big cats.
Why it matters
Effective coexistence strategies are critical for the survival of vulnerable species like lions, which face extinction due to habitat loss and retaliatory killings.
Numbering fewer than 25,000, lions remain vulnerable to extinction. These big cats have suffered catastrophic declines and today occupy roughly 6% of their historical range .
Living with lions ( Panthera leo ) is not easy. Outside of protected areas, lions kill livestock and, infrequently, people. In response, the cats are poisoned, shot and speared. But across Africa, where the majority of lions live, communities are trialing traditional and new ways to ensure people and lions can coexist.
To mark World Lion Day on Aug. 10, 2026 , here is a look at some of Mongabay’s recent coverage of those projects.
In a conflict hotspot in northern Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean lion conservationist Moreangels Mbizah and her colleagues train Batabilili (“protectors” in Tonga, the local language).
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