IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| IUCN/SSC Wildlife Trade Programme, | |
| Transfer of the Lion _Panthera leo _from Appendix II to Appendix I. Proponent: Kenya | |
| 2004 Full Book | |
The Lion Panthera leo occurs in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The Asiatic subspecies Panthera leo persica is included in CITES Appendix I while the African population is included in Appendix II under the general listing of the family Felidae. The Lion population in Africa has undoubtedly decreased in the past three decades, although the scale of this decrease is far from clear. A very general "guesstimate" of 200 000 animals was made for the continent-wide population in 1975; another estimate, based on expert judgement and modelled habitat availability, was of ca 76 000 in 1980. In the mid-1990s, a general estimate of 30 000 to 100 000 was made. A 2002 figure, based on estimates for some 144 populations and further extrapolation, was of 39 000 Lions (range 29 000 to 47 000) while a 2004 incomplete estimate of 100 known populations was of 16 500 to 30 000. Each of these has used different methodologies and it is certainly likely that the 1975 figure over-estimated the population. The recent IUCN re-evaluation of Lion status has proposed a classification of Vulnerable for the global population on the basis of a decline of between 30% and 50% over three generations, with a regional assessment of Endangered for the West African regional population. Causes of decline during the 1990s included increasing pressure from human settlement and habitat loss, with loss of human life and livestock depredation resulting in Lion persecution. East and southern Africa are now home to the majority of the continent's Lions. Over 50% of current Lion habitat is included within protected areas, Lions are becoming rare outside protected areas. |
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