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January 27, 2009
Barbara Crown, Editor
The Hunting Report
9200 S. Dadeland Blvd., Suite 523
Miami, FL 33156, USA
To the Editor:
John Jackson’s recent call for assistance on lion conservation has increased awareness of the need for hunter-conservationists to be involved in this issue. Safari Club International Foundation (SCIF) thought it appropriate to update you and your readership on the history and current status of this issue.
In 2004, the conservation status of the African lion was brought to prominence at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora in Thailand. It was Kenya who proposed listing the African lion as an “endangered,” or “Appendix I” species, which would have banned commercial international trade in lions. Kenya withdrew its proposal after it was generally agreed that commercial international trade was not the problem for lion conservation and a group of African lion range states proposed to host a series of workshops to develop regional strategies for lion conservation and management. After the lion listing proposal was dropped, the southern African countries asked the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) to help produce the workshops. The SCIF was instrumental in developing and promoting the workshop strategy and became a major private funder of the workshops.
Two workshops were held to develop regional conservation strategies for the African lion. The first workshop brought together 14 West and Central African lion range states to a workshop in Douala, Cameroon, in October, 2005. The second workshop brought together 15 lion range states from Eastern and Southern Africa to a workshop that took place in Johannesburg, South Africa in January, 2006. As you can see by examining the documents in the attached links (http://www.catsg.org/catsgportal/bulletin-board/05_strategies/Lion%20Conserv%20Strat%20E&S%20Africa%202006.pdf, and http://www.catsg.org/catsgportal/bulletin-board/05_strategies/Lion_Conservation_Strategy_W&C%20Afric_2006_E.pdf), many organizations have contributed to the development of final regional plans.
The regional strategies included objectives formulated to address the leading threats to lions and a number of specific actions were recommended. The chief of these actions was to develop a “stepped-down” strategy to the national level for each lion range state. Once each range state had a tangible plan to conserve and manage lions, they would focus on implementing the plan with their available resources.
The SCIF has an extensive history and commitment in wildlife conservation in southern Africa and considers the development and implementation of the national lion management plans in all range states a top priority. Although some countries have management plans that include lions, such as Botswana, several countries do not. Since the conclusion of the regional workshops, SCIF has sponsored meetings in Zimbabwe and Namibia for the production of national-level lion management plans, and Zambia recently held their own workshop. SCIF has secured funding to assist Mozambique, Tanzania, and Malawi in holding workshops to develop their national plans. In addition, SCIF has funded a lion survey in Mozambique this year. SCIF has supported Dr. Paula White in her efforts to provide the necessary scientific research about the physical characteristics of lions in Zambia (nose color, mane development, etc) related to age to refine the sustainable use of this species. Finally, the past November SCIF co-hosted our 7th African Wildlife Consultative Forum in Namibia, a meeting where lion conservation and human-lion conflict were the two dominant topics.
Funding is essential to assist the range states completion and implementation of their national lion plans. We commend the Conservation Force initiative in central and western Africa, and SCIF plans to continue our work in the Southern Africa (SADC) region to build a scientific basis for lion management.
Since inception, Safari Club International (SCI) has become a significant global organization. Our approximately 190 chapters provide us with a way to make and gather with friends, our Convention is a place to celebrate and enjoy our hunting heritage, and our Foundation is recognized as a world leader in wildlife conservation and education programs. SCI has provided nearly $300 million USD on hunter advocacy and wildlife conservation since inception. Since 2000, the SCIF has provided $47 million USD on conservation, wildlife education, and humanitarian programs around the world.
Sincerely,
Joseph H. Hosmer
Vice President, Safari Club International & Safari Club International Foundation
Chairman – SCI Foundation Conservation Committee
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