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The results of our 3 year Conservation Incentive Payments (CIP) trial are out.
KopeLion and the TAWIRI lion research project presented them to stakeholders, including community leaders, NCAA, TANAPA, TAWIRI, MNRT, and tourism operators, in Karatu, and to present them to all the villages that participated.
Largely supported by The Lion Recovery Fund and others, we additionally thank the 6 villages who participated, the NCA Authority, and KopeLion staff, Ingela Jansson, Adam Pekor, William Ole Seki and Ololotu Munka who poured their hearts and time into the project.
95% of respondents reported that they were satisfied with the CIP program, 97% reported that they had a more positive view of lions as a result of the CIP program, and 99% reported that they would like the CIP program to continue in their village.
Human-lion coexistence was greatest where the CIP program was piloted – during the three years of the pilot, there was not a single retaliatory lion killing, hunt, or attempted hunt in the CIP villages, despite 29 such events in KopeLion’s wider area of operations’.
Funding for education elevated the CIP programme, – a conservation intervention can only help promote coexistence if people are aware of the benefits they are earning from wildlife. Here, awareness of the CIP program was extremely high, with over 90% of respondents from CIP villages reporting having heard of the program or the fact that their village was earning money from the lions on their land. Anecdotally, we noticed a substantial uptick in both awareness of and enthusiasm for the program once the participating villages began using their earnings to support students to attend secondary school.
Download the CIP Final Report
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Kope Lion
KopeLion Inc. (short for Korongoro People’s Lion Initiative) is a non-profit NGO registered in USA and in Tanzania. Our mission is to foster human-lion coexistence through participatory research and sustainable community-based conservation.
🌟 We’re proud to share that our 2-year grant from IUCN SOS concluded in 2023, marking a significant milestone in our mission to protect lions 🦁—a species listed as Vulnerable by IUCN.![]()
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This grant empowered us to strengthen our human-lion conflict mitigation program and expand into new areas, restoring vital corridors for lion connectivity across the Serengeti ecosystem. 🌍![]()
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Thanks to this incredible support, we’ve made strides toward enabling lasting coexistence between people and lions in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Together, we’re making a difference for wildlife and communities! 💚
🦁 Lebutiama’s Journey 🦁![]()
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After wandering into community areas outside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), we partnered with the NCAA to safely return him to the NCA. With funding from the Safina Foundation, we collared him to track his movements and reduce human-lion conflict.![]()
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For the past 30 days, he has roamed peacefully in Oldeani Mountain. Recently, he moved closer to Misigiyo village, where our Ilchokuti, Loserian, and Lazaro, closely monitor him to ensure his safety.![]()
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This map highlights his movements, reflecting the delicate balance between protecting lions and supporting coexistence.![]()
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#humanwildlifecoexistence #communityconservation #coexistence #livingwithlions #creatingconversations #lionconservation #ngorongorolions #corridortoftolerance #ngorongoro #ngorongoroconservationarea #kopelion #ngorongorocrater #lions #conservation #tanzania
Bessy and her pride resting peacefully under the stunning Ndutu sunset. 🌅 Once monitored through a conservation collar, Bessy is part of Kopelion’s ongoing efforts to reduce human-lion conflict in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Moments like this highlight the importance of coexistence and our work to protect both lions and local communities. 🦁🌳![]()
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📸 Photo credit: Dr. Ingela Jansson![]()
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#humanwildlifecoexistence #communityconservation #coexistence #livingwithlions #creatingconversations #lionconservation #ngorongorolions #corridortoftolerance #ngorongoro #ngorongoroconservationarea #kopelion #ngorongorocrater #lions #conservation #tanzania
