Lions remain the primary driver for African wildlife tourism, which contributes roughly 8.5% to Africa's GDP.

Jamie Thom
Jan 5
2 min read

As of 2025 and heading into 2026, the African lion (Panthera leo) faces a precarious future. While conservation efforts in Southern Africa are seeing success, populations in West, Central, and parts of East Africa are in a state of rapid decline.

2025 Population Summary

New synthesized data from July 2025 indicates that the "King of Beasts" is disappearing in plain sight.

Region	Status	2025 Population Estimate	Condition
Southern Africa	Vulnerable/Stable	~8,000 – 10,000	Increasing in fenced, managed reserves.
Eastern Africa	Vulnerable/Declining	~4,000 – 5,000	Highly Fragmented; declining outside strongholds.
West & Central Africa	Critically Endangered	~342	Near Extinction; highly genetically distinct.
TOTAL (All Africa)	Vulnerable	~13,350 – 20,000	Declining (down from ~30,000 a decade ago).

The "Big Five" Strongholds

By 2025, only five ecosystems in Africa host more than 1,000 lions:

Tanzania: Serengeti/Mara and Selous/Nyerere ecosystems.
Botswana/Zimbabwe: Okavango Delta, Chobe, and Hwange complex.
South Africa: Kruger National Park.
Tanzania: Rungwa/Ruaha ecosystem.

Key Conservation Trends (2025–2026)

1. The "Southern Success" vs. "Northern Crisis"

A massive divide has emerged. In South Africa, lions are thriving in small, fenced, and intensively managed reserves. Conversely, in West and Central Africa, lions have been extirpated from over 90% of their historical range. Conservationists are currently lobbying CITES to move lions to Appendix I (highest protection) to reflect this regional crisis.

2. Targeted Poaching: The New Threat

Historically, lions were caught accidentally in snares meant for bushmeat. However, 2025 reports highlight a surge in targeted poaching for lion body parts (claws, teeth, and bones). This is partly driven by the scarcity of wild tigers, with lion parts being used as a substitute in international markets.

3. High-Tech Coexistence

To combat human-wildlife conflict—the leading cause of lion deaths—2025 saw the rollout of innovative tech:

GPS Ear Tags for Cattle: In the Kgalagadi (South Africa/Botswana), livestock are fitted with sensors that alert owners when they drift too close to known lion prides.
Smart Fencing: Countries like Kenya and Ethiopia are investing in high-quality mitigation fences that use solar-powered deterrents to keep lions away from human settlements.

Critical Challenges for 2026

Genetic Isolation: Habitat fragmentation is creating "islands" of lions. Without corridors to connect them, small prides face inbreeding and vulnerability to diseases.
Prey Depletion: The illegal bushmeat trade is starving lions out. In parks like Limpopo (Mozambique), lions are disappearing because there are simply no antelopes left to eat.
Funding Gaps: Major international funding cuts in 2025 have left many parks unable to pay enough rangers, leading to "protection vacuums" in the northern regions.

Note on Tourism: Lions remain the primary driver for African wildlife tourism, which contributes roughly 8.5% to Africa's GDP. Conservationists warn that if lion populations continue to crash, the economic fallout for local communities will be devastating.