Lion Recovery Fund

April 24, 2021

9:15 am PDT

The Lion Recovery Fund (LRF) is committed to doubling the number of lions in Africa by 2050. Through direct actions and community engagement, the LRF is making it possible for lion populations to recover by targeting their greatest threats. These include habitat loss, human-lion conflict, bushmeat poaching, and a growing trade in lion body parts. Since 2017, LRF grantees have improved protected landscape management, helped change attitudes of pastoral communities toward lions, and developed strategies to return lions to their historic ranges. As of today, the LRF has supported 107 projects in 21 countries and disbursed over $9.7 million toward lion conservation.

SPEAKERS

Dr. Peter Lindsey

Director, LRF

Dr. Peter Lindsey has worked with African wildlife since 1993. He has extensive experience in a wide array of conservation issues, including predator conservation, threat analysis, community conservation, and understanding Africa’s vast protected area network. Peter studied at Oxford University and received a Ph.D. from the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria. Prior to joining WCN, Peter worked as a policy coordinator for Panthera’s Lion Program. Today, as the Director of the Lion Recovery Fund, Peter is using his unique “big picture” perspective to help protect lions and guide their recovery across Africa.

John Kamanga

Director, SORALO

John grew up in a pastoral Maasai community and is still a practicing herder in Kenya. He has worked with rural communities in Kenya for over 15 years and is currently the Director of the South Rift Association of Land Owners (SORALO). He teaches pastoral communities about biodiversity conservation through the promotion of open and interconnected ecosystems. This is tied to preservation of the iconic Maasai culture in order to enhance livelihoods and improve management of natural resources. John’s efforts in community conservation earned him the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Conservation Leadership award in 2013.

Photography credit: Susan McConnell