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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.
Meet Ilchokuti: Ndelelya Olepesai![]()
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Ndelelya is a proud family man who wanted his portrait taken in front of his home with his family. This photo was captured around the time his wife had just given birth to their newborn, who was resting safely inside.![]()
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He joined KopeLion when the legendary lion Laipangwa began appearing in a new area near the Olbalbal swamp. With many people and livestock living in this region, Ndelelya took on the important role of custodian to help ensure harmony between lions and the community.
A mother’s gentle grip.![]()
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Lionesses often carry their cubs by the scruff of the neck, using a special instinctive grip that doesn’t hurt them. The cub’s body goes limp, making it easy for the mother to move her young safely between hiding spots.![]()
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In the wild, this behaviour is essential for keeping tiny cubs out of danger until they’re old enough to join the pride.![]()
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📷: @bobbyjophotography ![]()
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#KopeLion #LivingWithLions #LionBehaviour #Ngorongoro #Coexistence
Building stronger bomas, building coexistence.![]()
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In the Ngorongoro region, KopeLion works with local communities to reinforce traditional livestock enclosures, known as bomas. Strengthening these enclosures helps protect livestock from predators and reduces conflict between people and carnivores.![]()
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Every reinforced boma means fewer losses, safer livestock, and stronger coexistence between lions and the people who share the landscape with them.![]()
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📷: @bobbyjophotography
