Kope Lion Project

KopeLion aims to restore the connectivity for lions between Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, and to ensure that Ngorongoro Conservation Area continues to be an important component of the Greater Serengeti that hosts an intact ecosystem including its top predators.

To do so we engage in participatory lion research and conservation through field-based and closely linked activities in lion monitoring, conflict mitigation, and community outreach. We build upon a 50-year study of the local lion population, providing a unique opportunity to measure the impacts of our efforts on the lions’ population dynamics.

Local engagement is paramount to the continued existence of lions in a multi-use landscape. Thus community support and involvement is at the centre of our efforts. We acknowledge that the pastoralist peoples we work with have a long history of living with wildlife, and a wealth of traditional practices and cultural values that supports coexistence. The raising of awareness of lion-human coexistence is therefore a knowledge exchange between scientists and the local communities.