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The Kunene Lion Project
The Kunene Region in northwestern Namibia, one of Africa’s last true wilderness areas, is renowned for spectacular scenery and its desert-dwelling elephants. It is also home to a unique population of desert-adapted lions.
The number of these ‘desert’ lions has increased steadily since a core group of 13 moved into the central Palmwag Concession Area in 1999/2000.
Researcher and carnivore expert, Dr Flip Stander, estimates that there are between 96 and 154 lions in the Kunene Region. With a distribution ranging from just south of the Ugab River northwards to the Marienfluss Valley, most of the lions occur outside of protected areas.
While these ‘desert’ lions are a major tourist attraction, the people living in the area have to share their land with the lions, resulting in human-lion conflict as the lions prey on domestic livestock. Since the farmers do not benefit from tourism they often shoot, trap or poison lions and human-lion conflict was the main cause of mortality (50%) when adult and sub-adult lions were shot or trophy hunted.
In 2005, Nedbank Namibia made a grant of N$137 828 to support research which was initiated in 1999 by Dr Stander.
Funding for the Kunene Lion Project was provided over a three-year period (2005-2008) with the following project aims:
- Collect sound scientific data on the ecology of the Kunene lion population.
- Monitor and evaluate conflicts between people and lions.
- Test management options to resolve these conflicts.
- Use these data as the baseline for to develop and implement conservation strategies.
The Kunene Lion Project is just one of many conservation projects supported by Nedbank Namibia since the establishment of the Go Green Fund in 2001.
Among the other conservation projects supported by Nedbank Namibia are the:
- Wild Dog Research Project
- Black Mongoose Project
- Brown Hyaena Reseach Project
- Avis Dam Rehabilitation Project
You, too, can help raise awareness of sensitive habitats and species in need of special protection. Nedbank Namibia will donate N$500 for every home loan and N$150 for every vehicle financed in its Go Green suite (at no cost to you) to the Go Green Fund.
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