Lion population declining at alarming rates!

                                                
Lions, and tigers, and bears OH my! This cute phrase from the Wizard of Oz may no longer be said in another 50 years. We now know that there are more tigers living in captivity then in the wild, and research is also showing the lion population is declining at an alarming rate. More than two thirds of the lion population that inhabits the savannah in Africa have disappeared in the last 50 years, according to a study published in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation. The study led by Duke University researchers have estimated the number of lions now living on the savannahs to be as low as 32,000 down from nearly 100,000 in 1960. The decline of the lion population is caused by massive land use, and change of the savannah due to deforestation driven by rapid human population growth. This change has "fragmented or degraded much of the original savannah", said Stuart Pimm, Doris Duke Professor of Conservation Ecology at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment. "Only 25 percent remains of an ecosystem that once was a third larger then the continental United States." Pimm and his colleagues used high-resolution satellite imagery from Google Earth, and human population density data, as well as estimates of local lion populations to map areas still favorable for the lions survival. They found 67 isolated areas of the savannah across the continent with low human impacts and density's. Only 10 spots were deemed "strongholds" where lions have an excellent chance of survival, many located within National Parks. One of Pimm's colleagues said, "giving these lions something of a fighting chance will require substantial increases in effort. This research is a major step in prioritizing funding to save these wonderful creatures."http://phys.org/news/2012-12-lion-ranges-populations-africa.html