The Lion Pride Initiative
Protection Research Implementation Development Education

IMPLEMENTATION Implementation of income from hunting and tourism can help solve the problems of rural people, but we need to develop and implement totally transparent and equitable distribution of profits among the human communities that live with wildlife.

Rural communities that could benefit from sport hunting profits need networks of well-trained, well-paid, well-equipped game scouts to control poaching. We need to work with hunters and hunting operators to ensure that wildlife is managed sustainably and hunted ethically. Development of an accreditation system which rates hunting companies on these criteria would drive market-based improvement that would contribute to conservation.

DEVELOPMENT Development of rural communities must be directly linked to protection of wildlife. A significant portion of hunting/tourism income must go to a fund that pays compensation to individuals, supports effective game scouts and benefits rural communities by building and staffing schools, clinics and other essential infrastructure.

EDUCATION Education in rural African communities must show that wildlife can be an economic asset rather than a liability. To avoid needless and counterproductive killing of game, people must learn ways of minimizing wildlife damage to crops and livestock. Game management officials need to continue learning more about principles of sustainable wildlife management. African universities need support in improving wildlife management curricula.

Images shown above are original oil paintings by John Banovich.