Support the endangered tree-climbing lions of Uganda

Building a Community Lion Monitoring Program in Uganda

We are the Kyambura Lion Monitoring Project, a community-based initiative in Queen Elizabeth National Park, western Uganda. We launched this project in August 2023 to support the scientific monitoring of Queen Elizabeth’s rare population of tree-climbing lions and improve the livelihoods of local people living in and around the park.

The Queen Elizabeth lion population faces major threats due to human-wildlife conflicts (often clashes occur between local farmers and lions over cattle), snaring (where lions and their prey are caught in wire traps that then cause injuries or death), and poisoning (for the illegal trade of lion body parts).

Our project supports the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) by monitoring and determining the conservation status of lions, identifying key individuals, and building strong partnerships with local partners, including the Uganda Carnivore Program, Uganda Conservation Foundation and Enjojo Foundation. Our team work with other key conservation partners in the park to respond to lions when there is a potential conflict with local communities in or around the park.

We host lion identification and monitoring training sessions for UWA Rangers, tour operators and guides, and the local community. This training will help to protect this unique population of lions.

We are raising money to support the community members in our team, keep our vehicle in the park and help cover the project's operations. Our target of £8,000 will cover the costs of the project for approximately 3 months.

Our project has strong scientific backing, and operated in partnership with Uganda Wildlife Authority, the Lion Recovery Fund, Griffith University in Australia and Northern Arizona University. More information on the project can be found here.

We urgently need funds to help the project continue running for the rest of 2024 and 2025.

$250 pays for fuel for a week of field activities

$750 supports two local community scouts for 3 month

$3000 supports the field team for one month

For US residents, donations can also be made via Empowers Africa for tax-deductible donations.

Thank you for your support!