About this Research Topic
Over the last century, lion (Panthera leo) populations have suffered tremendous losses across their range. The reasons for these population declines are numerous including habitat fragmentation, disease, rangeland competition, and conflict with people. Conservationists are responding to these challenges by promoting highly innovative techniques to secure the future of lion populations. This Research Topic highlights these techniques by describing case studies of effective lion conservation practices from Southern India to South Africa. Each article demonstrates the practices that have proved to be evidentially positive for lion conservation, highlights the importance of local human heritage in the implementation of these practices, and discusses how these practices may be applicable across scales. What this Research Topic makes clear is that it will be a diversity of practices tested and implemented across lion landscapes in Africa and India that will be needed to secure the future of this species.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the innovative practices that are being implemented across the range of lions (Panthera leo) to promote the population persistence of this charismatic species. Each article represents a case study from a different lion conservation site where these novel and original practices are being implemented. By describing the practices featured among each of these case studies, scalable principles needed to secure the future of lion populations will be evidential. Within this capacity, this Research Topic will be critical to building synergies across sites and scales so that lions can continue to inhabit coupled human and natural systems from Southern India to South Africa.
The scope of this Research Topic highlights the innovative practices that are being implemented to secure lion (Panthera leo) populations across their range. From Southern India to South Africa and from West Africa through Central Africa and all the way to East Africa, cutting-edge conservation science is presently underway. Innovative practices to protect lion populations include developing corridors to enable connectivity among populations for genetic rescue, implementation of policies to protect habitat and natural prey of lions, nominating alternative practices for domestic livestock husbandry to reduce lion depredation, and facilitating veterinary interventions to increase individual lion survival. This Research Topic will not only highlight the individual practices at these case study locations that are effective, but also present integrative techniques that may effectively enable lion conservation across scales. Thus, the dialogue and discussion emanating from this Research Topic will be critical to the persistence of lions across their range.
The goal of this Research Topic is to highlight the innovative practices that are being implemented across the range of lions (Panthera leo) to promote the population persistence of this charismatic species. Each article represents a case study from a different lion conservation site where these novel and original practices are being implemented. By describing the practices featured among each of these case studies, scalable principles needed to secure the future of lion populations will be evidential. Within this capacity, this Research Topic will be critical to building synergies across sites and scales so that lions can continue to inhabit coupled human and natural systems from Southern India to South Africa.
The scope of this Research Topic highlights the innovative practices that are being implemented to secure lion (Panthera leo) populations across their range. From Southern India to South Africa and from West Africa through Central Africa and all the way to East Africa, cutting-edge conservation science is presently underway. Innovative practices to protect lion populations include developing corridors to enable connectivity among populations for genetic rescue, implementation of policies to protect habitat and natural prey of lions, nominating alternative practices for domestic livestock husbandry to reduce lion depredation, and facilitating veterinary interventions to increase individual lion survival. This Research Topic will not only highlight the individual practices at these case study locations that are effective, but also present integrative techniques that may effectively enable lion conservation across scales. Thus, the dialogue and discussion emanating from this Research Topic will be critical to the persistence of lions across their range.
Keywords: collaboration, interdisciplinary, lion, multidisciplinary, Panthera leo
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
