This collaborative web portal is a joint venture of CITES, CMS and the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, aiming to facilitate the posting and sharing of information regarding conservation and management of the African lion (Panthera leo). With a range extending mostly through countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the lion is one of Africa’s most endangered large carnivores, with only 23,000-39,000 mature individuals estimated to remain in the wild.

   

 

 

 

The joint CITES/CMS/IUCN Lion Web Portal implements CITES COP17 Decision 17.241 j) and CMS COP12 Decision 12.67 a), which called for the creation of a common portal of collaboration across the lion Range States.

CITES Decision 17.241 j):

The Secretariat shall:

Subject to external funding, in collaboration with African lion range States, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), create a portal on the CITES website to permit, amongst other things, the posting and sharing of information and voluntary guidance on the making of non-detriment findings for African lion.

CMS Decision 12.67 a)

The Secretariat shall:

Subject to external funding and in collaboration with African Lion Range States, and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and on matters falling within the remit of CMS, collaborate with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to consult with the CITES Secretariat on developing a joint web portal to permit, amongst other things, the posting and sharing of information regarding conservation and management of African Lions.

This web portal also supports other provisions in CITES Decision 17.241 and CMS Decision 12.67 by hosting the results of implementing those provisions and creating a common portal of collaboration across the lion Range States. 

© Jacques-André Dupont         

African Carnivores Initiative

The African Lion is also one of the species covered under the umbrella of the African Carnivores Initiative, a joint CMS-CITES initiative that focuses on the conservation of 4 iconic African carnivore species: the African Lion (Panthera leo), Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), Leopard (Panthera pardus), and African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus).