Building Pride for Lions in Malawi

Building Pride for Lions in Malawi

Malawi is a country where until recently, lions were at real risk of going extinct. During 2017, the LRF provided support for the reintroduction of lions into Liwonde and Majete national parks. The future is thus brighter for the species, but significant threats remain. Lions in Malawi are threatened by severe poaching of their prey for bushmeat and also lack of tolerance among local people for lions which stifles prospects for natural re-colonisation of protected areas from populations in neighbouring countries.  Lilongwe Wildlife Trust has been awarded a grant to embark upon a social and behavioural change communications campaign. This campaign will work to re-frame the lion as a national treasure and asset for Malawi, and to raise awareness about the threats posed to Malawi’s lions and the nations tourism industry via the trade in illegal bushmeat and trade in carnivore products. This campaign, it is hoped, will reduce demand for bushmeat sourced from poachers and for other wildlife products. A second grant was issued in 2020 to provide support for anti-trafficking to disrupt the commercial trade in bushmeat and to engage with the authorities to elevate the seriousness with which bushmeat poaching is viewed in the country.