Influence of bushmeat poaching and pastoralism on African lion Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) ecology in rural Mozambique

Abstract

The African lion, Panthera leo, has suffered dramatic population and range declines over the last few decades and is listed as Vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Quantification of the factors limiting the abundance and distribution of lions in human disturbed systems is critical if we wish to promote the conservation of the species beyond the sanctuaries of a limited number of reserves. From September 2011 - November 2012, I studied aspects of the population and habitat ecology of lions in the developing Limpopo National Park (LNP), Mozambique; a woodland savannah ecosystem supporting relatively low prey densities and inhabited by subsistence-agro-pastoralisthunters.