Day 4

2500 m² of secure habitat for lions for one year in Botswana

LIVING WITH WILD NEIGHBORS LIVING WITH WILD NEIGHBORS

2500 m² of secure habitat for lions for one year in Botswana
Day 4
Peaceful coexistence of farmers and lions is possible

"There you are, ladies..." whispers Moagi, putting her cell phone to her ear without lowering her binoculars. "I found them, they're two lionesses... they're exactly where we thought... are you ready, Thomo?... great, see you soon then." Everything is going according to plan. On her patrol that morning, Moagi and her colleagues discovered the first lion tracks. Thomo immediately informed the farmers who had rounded up their cattle and goats. Now all the animals are safe in the newly built fences. Moagi is a lion ranger. She grew up in this village near the Okavango Game Reserve, where encounters with wild lions are part of everyday life. In the past, she was often afraid and angry. If a lion attacked goats or cattle again, it should die. Today, Moagi knows how important lions are for the natural balance. She is proud that she and her village can show everyone how to live peacefully with lions.

Peaceful coexistence of farmers and lions is possible
Peaceful coexistence of farmers and lions is possible
need
Peaceful coexistence of humans and lions on the edge of the Okavango Conservation Area in Botswana
activity
Lion rangers train farmers in herd protection, provide early warning of lions and provide immediate assistance in the event of lion attacks
Measurable performance
The number of livestock attacks by lions and the number of lion killings in the project area is sustainably reduced by more than 85%
Result
Other communities are being recruited to protect the lions and their lion rangers are largely covering the buffer zone to the Okavango Conservation Area
Systemically relevant impact
The communities in the region resolve wildlife conflicts independently, live in peaceful coexistence with lions and thus preserve the lion population in the region
background

Africa's lion population has plummeted by 43 percent in just 20 years (Bauer 2016). Experts estimate that only about 20,000 lions live there today (LeFlore 2022). The reason for this is the loss of habitat and prey as wild areas are increasingly converted into agricultural land, and the associated conflicts with cattle ranchers. But diseases, hunting and poaching are also affecting the lions. The Okavango Delta is one of the most ecologically valuable regions on earth with the most wildlife (Ramberg 2006) and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. On the edge of the protected area, which is home to many endangered species such as lions, cheetahs, wild dogs and black rhinos, people mostly live from cattle farming. There are many conflicts here between lions and farmers, in which the lions are often killed (LeFlore 2020). As a sad hotspot for lion killings, the village of Quqao on the southern edge of the Okavango Delta became the first base of the "SAVE Lions - Living with Lions" project in 2022. In this community project, conservationists worked with farmers to develop solutions to promote peaceful coexistence with lions. The cattle and goats mostly move freely in the area and are easy prey for predators. With training on better herd protection and the training of lion keepers, the community learned how to reduce conflicts with wild lions themselves. In the project area to date, 95% of lion attacks on grazing animals have been prevented and lion killings have been greatly reduced. After the successful completion of the pilot project, the area of operation will now be expanded to other communities in order to make the entire buffer zone at the protected area a safe habitat for lions.

Okavango Delta
Day 4 Day 4 Day 4 Day 4
The good deed

With your good deed today, you are enabling people to live peacefully with their wild neighbors, the lions, and thus preserving an important part of their habitat. How does this work? Some community members are being trained as so-called lion rangers and are thus given an important role in the community: They patrol the settlement area for lion tracks, warn livestock owners and lead discovered lions back to the wildlife area. In training courses, the farmers learn how to better protect their herds from lions: Together, they erect lion-proof protective fences and make mobile privacy fences for migrating herds. And does it work? Very well! The project work so far shows that in a community with a lion camp and rangers, there are 90% fewer lion attacks on herd animals and hardly any lions are killed. If a lion attack does occur, the rangers provide immediate assistance: They immediately drive to the site of the attack, track down the lion and, if necessary, push it back into the wildlife area. They then help the affected farmer to get the loss of his livestock reimbursed by the government and overcome bureaucratic hurdles. The more communities implement the protection concept with lion rangers, the more natural the way people interact with their wild neighbors will become.

About Botswana
Gaborone
Gaborone
Capital city
2,675,352
2,675,352
population
as of 2023
7,249.8
7,249.8
Gross domestic product per capita per year in USD
as of 2023
0.708
0.708
Human Development Index (Human Development Index)
as of 2023/2024

In Botswana, they say that the scent of the first rain is more expensive than French perfume. – The currency is the Pula, which is also the Botswana word for “rain”.