Threats

Threat in Niassa Reserve	Ranking	Comments
Inadvertent snaring and poisoning	High	Snares set for meat and problem animals
Targeted snaring for skin trade	Medium	Mainly for leopard, some lion
Human –Conflict / Retaliatory killing	Medium	Loss of life, injury and stock losses for people and erosion of confidence in conservation
Sport hunting of underage lion and leopards	Medium	The majority of leopards taken as trophies are younger than 4 years
Disease – rabies and canine distemper	Medium	Potential threat due to 200-300 domestic dogs in NNR
Sport hunting of underage lions	Low	Potential threat if SRN Lion regulations – Points System not upheld
Road causalities	Low	Particularly African wild dog
Traditional medicine	Low	All species, trade in lion bones needs to be monitored

The African lion, a charismatic icon, is in serious trouble. Historically lions inhabited Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. They occupied all types of habitat except very dry deserts and very wet forests. Today, lions have lost almost 80% of their original territory. There are now fewer than 40,000 lions left in the world, with as few as 450-1,300 lions in West Africa, and only 550-1,500 in Central Africa. Many populations are declining or have disappeared altogether. Leopards are also increasingly threatened. Until 2008, the leopard was classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in the category of "Least Concern" due to their wide geographic range. In 2008 this was changed to “Near Threatened” as they have lost 36% of their historical range, and are highly sought after for their skins and as sport hunting trophies. African wild dogs are endangered across their range as well, with fewer than 8,000 left. Niassa Reserve supports more than 350 adult wild dogs across more than 39 packs.

Large carnivores are among the most difficult species to conserve because they can be a danger to people and livestock. Locally derived grass roots solutions are essential to successful cohabitation. Habitat loss associated with human population growth, reduced prey, retaliatory killing, snaring, poisoning, sport hunting, and disease all threaten the survival of African lions. In Niassa Reserve, large carnivores are not secure.

Snaring is our biggest challenge: lions, leopards, and wild dogs are not the targets, but are caught as by-catch in snares set for bush-meat. Snaring is merely a symptom of a deeper issue for Niassa’s residents – the need for income and meat. At least 1.7 tons of bush-meat is eaten each week in the Niassa Reserve. While increased efforts to reduce poaching efforts keep people safe are extremely important, we also need to address the need for increased food security and alternative livelihoods. Hungry people have little time or energy for conservation, particularly for species that can hurt them and kill their livestock.