Living with lions (Panthera leo) is not easy. Outside of protected areas, lions kill livestock and, infrequently, people. In response, the cats are poisoned, shot and speared. But across Africa, where the majority of lions live, communities are trialing traditional and new ways to ensure people and lions can coexist.<\/p>\n
To mark World Lion Day on Aug. 10, 2026<\/a>, here is a look at some of Mongabay\u2019s recent coverage of those projects.<\/p>\n Protecting livestock saves lions<\/p>\n In a conflict hotspot in northern Zimbabwe, Zimbabwean lion conservationist Moreangels Mbizah and her colleagues train Batabilili (\u201cprotectors\u201d in Tonga, the local language).<\/p>\n These community guardians track lions and promote the use of secure enclosures for livestock, as well as lion deterrents, reports<\/a> Mongabay contributor Ryan Truscott. While not a panacea, the guardians program has significantly helped reduce conflict between lions and people, and vice versa.<\/p>\n In 2026, Mbizah won a prestigious Whitley Award for her work. The \u00a350,000 ($67,500) prize money will help Mbizah\u2019s NGO, Wildlife Conservation Action, recruit more \u201cBatabilili.\u201d<\/p>\n More evidence of success?<\/p>\n In northern Botswana\u2019s Okavango Delta region, a conservation nonprofit, CLAWS Conservancy, has helped set up a real-time alert system to warn locals of approaching lions so they can take measures to protect themselves and their livestock.<\/p>\n Lions are fitted with GPS collars and tracked.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the lion gets within a 5-kilometer [3-mile] radius of a village, or 3-kilometer [1.9-mi] radius of a smaller cattle post or homestead, then it automatically triggers the dispersal of an alert directly to the people who live within that radius where that line is breached,\u201d\u00a0 CLAW Conservancy\u2019s Andrew Stein said in a Q&A<\/a> with Mongabay\u2019s Abhishyant Kidangoor in 2025. \u201cIt\u2019s like a virtual fence.\u201d<\/p>\n In February, contributor Gloria Dickie reported<\/a> that lions appear to be rebounding in the region where the lion alert-system operates. Restoration of traditional herding practices has also contributed to a large drop in cattle losses and fewer retaliatory lion poisonings.<\/p>\n Community engagement is key<\/p>\n In northern Kenya, the Samburu women\u2019s group Mama Simba (\u201cMothers of Lions\u201d in Kiswahili) has played an active role in human-lion coexistence for more than a decade, partnering with the Ewaso Lions conservation project.<\/p>\n In a commentary<\/a> co-authored with Victoria Wanjohi, a wildlife conservation scientist, Mama Simba says that, \u201cthe inclusion of women in Africa\u2019s lion conservation efforts is essential to not only to protect the species, but to do so sustainably with the buy-in of nearby communities \u2014 which at times can have a tense and challenging relationship with the predatory species.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLions have a powerful place in Samburu culture,\u201d Mama Simba and Wanjohi say. \u201cTraditional beliefs hold that when a lion roars at night, it signals good fortune coming to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n Banner image: A lion in Zambia. Image by Darren Obbard via iNaturalist<\/a> (CC BY 4.0<\/a>). <\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f2c17c334235688bf4bf3d50c3437f9772a725144b850832d02f7cd3c6423318.png\")
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