The problem of lion hunting in Africa and the reforms needed for protection Africa. Historically the apex predator of the savannahs of eastern, central and southern Africa, the lion is of great ecological importance. Additionally, its dominant status over such a vast region which has led to worldwide popularity and its historical tribal significance highlight the cultural and social value of the lion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayHowever, lack of funding for wildlife management and conservation efforts, habitat fragmentation and loss of prey due to increasing human populations, retaliatory killings and, arguably, trophy hunting has put pressure on lion populations, causing a dangerous decline in their numbers in recent decades ( Bauer et al. 2015, Creel et al. The IUCN Red List (2014) officially classifies P. leo as vulnerable, with an estimated population of only 22,000 to 39,000 mature lions. Additionally, recent research shows that lion populations mostly continue to decline (Bauer et al. 2015). Given the importance of the species, these declines are alarming. The purpose of this essay is to determine whether the controversial issue of trophy hunting is beneficial to lion conservation. The focus is on Kenya and Tanzania; two countries with marked differences in hunting laws. Tanzania exported an average of 243 trophies per year between 1996 and 2006, the highest rate in the world, and has an extremely large lion population (although lack of available data makes details unclear; Bauer et al. 2015 Brink et al. In comparison, trophy hunting has been banned in Kenya since 1977 (Whitman et al. 2007; National Geographic 2017). Studying the impact of each country's conservation policies on lion populations will allow us to conclude on the benefits of trophy hunting, and possibly suggest modifications. are intact and populations are believed to still be significant (Brink et al. 2016). Additionally, recent research shows that lion populations have increased in several important regions of Tanzania. For example, the growth rates in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater were 1.02  0.02 and 1  0.03, respectively (more than 1 is growth, less than 1 is decline; Bauer and al. Thus, hunting policies appear to have been at an all-time low. the least sustainable in several areas crucial to lions. It should be noted, however, that growth rates in significant areas of Kenya have also been strong (1.16  0.12 for Mbirikani and 1.1  0.1 for Ol Pejeta), and Katavi (which is a park Tanzania) recorded the worst growth rate (0.67  0.11) across all surveyed areas in East Africa (Bauer et al. 2015), undermining the benefits of the trophy hunting program in Tanzania for conservation. However, simulations of the Whitman et al. model. (2004) showed that if hunting was limited to males older than 5 or 6 years, local extinction never occurred. But if hunting of 3- or 4-year-old males was allowed, local extinction occurred in some simulations. Therefore, hunting can be sustainable if the focus is on lion age rather than quotas, which was shown by the model to have a negligible effect (Whitmanet al. 2004). Accounting for significant environmental disturbance to the population (such as disease) did not change these results (Whitman et al. 2007), demonstrating the robustness of hunting if done carefully. The reason for choosing older men is the risk of infanticide; Fathers must raise their cubs, and if they are killed while their cubs are still being raised, the lions that take over the pride will likely kill the cubs (Whitman et al. 2007). quickly. Since hunting provides a commercial incentive to tolerate lion populations, if done sustainably it has clear conservation benefits. The above data shows that age restriction is key to sustainability, and Whitman et al. (2004) points out that nose pigmentation can be used simply and easily to determine the age of a lion before it is killed. However, there may be some variability, so limiting the age requirement to 7 or 8 should provide protection against this. Coupled with the fact that Tanzania's lion population is much larger and healthier than that of Kenya (2,000 lions in Kenya compared to over 16,000 in Tanzania, (estimate; Kenya Wildlife Service 2007; Lionalert 2010), hunting Not only appears to have been a more effective conservation policy than banning hunting, but there are also opportunities to reform hunting to provide better conservation benefits in the future. Modern data and models. : Reforms are neededRecent research has shown that African countries with the highest hunting rates, such as Tanzania, have experienced the most severe declines in trophies collected (Packer et al. 2009; Brink et al. 2016). Additionally, West African countries, where hunting rates have been relatively lower, have seen stable harvest rates (Bouché 2016). Clearly, hunting in Tanzania has been permitted at levels. unsustainable, leading to a decline in lion populations and trophies collected. Stricter monitoring and quotas are possible solutions, but as Packer (2009) argues, populations are difficult to study, making setting quotas ambiguous, and it is difficult to prevent poaching because hunters often hunt lions outside protected areas. Other problems can be targeted. The Tanzanian government has preferred to rely on trophy fees and grant hunting areas to companies under short-team agreements, which encourages companies to hunt more now and not plan for the future. future (Brink et al. 2016). Although this maximized government revenues in the short term, it caused overhunting. By offering longer-term contracts to businesses, conservation and business interests can be aligned, as businesses will need a sustainable plan with long-term revenue. This is supported by research by Brink (2016), who found that long-term hunting blocks have more sustainable populations and trophies collected. Whitman's 2004 model was built using data from Serengeti National Park, which has an idealized lion population with adequate growth and protection. (Whitman et al. 2004). However, the situation for most lion populations is much worse, with problems of habitat fragmentation and loss of prey. This model therefore has serious limitations. An updated model, using parameters and data that better reflect the ecological conditions facing lions, found that the odds of local extinctions

Essay / The problem of lion hunting in Africa and the reforms needed for protection Africa. Historically the apex predator of the savannahs of eastern, central and southern Africa, the lion is of great ecological importance. Additionally, its dominant status over such a vast region which has led to worldwide popularity and its historical tribal significance highlight the cultural and social value of the lion. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayHowever, lack of funding for wildlife management and conservation efforts, habitat fragmentation and loss of prey due to increasing human populations, retaliatory killings and, arguably, trophy hunting has put pressure on lion populations, causing a dangerous decline in their numbers in recent decades ( Bauer et al. 2015, Creel et al. The IUCN Red List (2014) officially classifies P. leo as vulnerable, with an estimated population of only 22,000 to 39,000 mature lions. Additionally, recent research shows that lion populations mostly continue to decline (Bauer et al. 2015). Given the importance of the species, these declines are alarming. The purpose of this essay is to determine whether the controversial issue of trophy hunting is beneficial to lion conservation. The focus is on Kenya and Tanzania; two countries with marked differences in hunting laws. Tanzania exported an average of 243 trophies per year between 1996 and 2006, the highest rate in the world, and has an extremely large lion population (although lack of available data makes details unclear; Bauer et al. 2015 Brink et al. In comparison, trophy hunting has been banned in Kenya since 1977 (Whitman et al. 2007; National Geographic 2017). Studying the impact of each country's conservation policies on lion populations will allow us to conclude on the benefits of trophy hunting, and possibly suggest modifications. are intact and populations are believed to still be significant (Brink et al. 2016). Additionally, recent research shows that lion populations have increased in several important regions of Tanzania. For example, the growth rates in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater were 1.02  0.02 and 1  0.03, respectively (more than 1 is growth, less than 1 is decline; Bauer and al. Thus, hunting policies appear to have been at an all-time low. the least sustainable in several areas crucial to lions. It should be noted, however, that growth rates in significant areas of Kenya have also been strong (1.16  0.12 for Mbirikani and 1.1  0.1 for Ol Pejeta), and Katavi (which is a park Tanzania) recorded the worst growth rate (0.67  0.11) across all surveyed areas in East Africa (Bauer et al. 2015), undermining the benefits of the trophy hunting program in Tanzania for conservation. However, simulations of the Whitman et al. model. (2004) showed that if hunting was limited to males older than 5 or 6 years, local extinction never occurred. But if hunting of 3- or 4-year-old males was allowed, local extinction occurred in some simulations. Therefore, hunting can be sustainable if the focus is on lion age rather than quotas, which was shown by the model to have a negligible effect (Whitmanet al. 2004). Accounting for significant environmental disturbance to the population (such as disease) did not change these results (Whitman et al. 2007), demonstrating the robustness of hunting if done carefully. The reason for choosing older men is the risk of infanticide; Fathers must raise their cubs, and if they are killed while their cubs are still being raised, the lions that take over the pride will likely kill the cubs (Whitman et al. 2007). quickly. Since hunting provides a commercial incentive to tolerate lion populations, if done sustainably it has clear conservation benefits. The above data shows that age restriction is key to sustainability, and Whitman et al. (2004) points out that nose pigmentation can be used simply and easily to determine the age of a lion before it is killed. However, there may be some variability, so limiting the age requirement to 7 or 8 should provide protection against this. Coupled with the fact that Tanzania's lion population is much larger and healthier than that of Kenya (2,000 lions in Kenya compared to over 16,000 in Tanzania, (estimate; Kenya Wildlife Service 2007; Lionalert 2010), hunting Not only appears to have been a more effective conservation policy than banning hunting, but there are also opportunities to reform hunting to provide better conservation benefits in the future. Modern data and models. : Reforms are neededRecent research has shown that African countries with the highest hunting rates, such as Tanzania, have experienced the most severe declines in trophies collected (Packer et al. 2009; Brink et al. 2016). Additionally, West African countries, where hunting rates have been relatively lower, have seen stable harvest rates (Bouché 2016). Clearly, hunting in Tanzania has been permitted at levels. unsustainable, leading to a decline in lion populations and trophies collected. Stricter monitoring and quotas are possible solutions, but as Packer (2009) argues, populations are difficult to study, making setting quotas ambiguous, and it is difficult to prevent poaching because hunters often hunt lions outside protected areas. Other problems can be targeted. The Tanzanian government has preferred to rely on trophy fees and grant hunting areas to companies under short-team agreements, which encourages companies to hunt more now and not plan for the future. future (Brink et al. 2016). Although this maximized government revenues in the short term, it caused overhunting. By offering longer-term contracts to businesses, conservation and business interests can be aligned, as businesses will need a sustainable plan with long-term revenue. This is supported by research by Brink (2016), who found that long-term hunting blocks have more sustainable populations and trophies collected. Whitman's 2004 model was built using data from Serengeti National Park, which has an idealized lion population with adequate growth and protection. (Whitman et al. 2004). However, the situation for most lion populations is much worse, with problems of habitat fragmentation and loss of prey. This model therefore has serious limitations. An updated model, using parameters and data that better reflect the ecological conditions facing lions, found that the odds of local extinctions

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