Lion Landscapes’ Post

We are delighted to announce that this year, in the Ruaha landscape of Tanzania, two students have earned the opportunity to advance from their four-year secondary school Simba Scholarship to the Carnivore Scholarship after successfully completing their national government examinations. Our scholarship programme has now supported 20 Carnivore Scholars to continue their education at a tertiary level. This achievement showcases the successful efforts made by villages surrounding the national park to ensure that they benefit from the presence of wildlife in their areas. You can also help make a difference in the lives of these children by donating here: https://lnkd.in/emj7mgph

We are committed to ensuring women have active participation in our Community Camera Trapping Plus (CCT+) programme benefits as they play a significant role in shaping the attitudes of the younger generation towards environmental conservation. In June, out of the gained CCT+ benefits, we distributed jerseys to the female youth netball team in the Selous-Nyerere landscape of Tanzania as per the village council's request. This brought them great joy as they already had netballs, a whistle, and a netball field with goal poles provided by Lion Landscapes through previous benefits. With the addition of the jerseys, they are now well-equipped for their matches. It's great to see the needs of young females being acknowledged. We hope to see similar initiatives in other villages within the Selous-Nyerere landscape.

The Napelo Womens Group from the Laikipia Landscape in Kenya learned about Lion Landscapes' financial literacy training from one of our Lion Extention Officers, who provided context on our programmes and activities. This group of women had formed a self-help group to pool their savings and acquire household items. The financial literacy training is a component of our Lion Friendly Livestock programme and aligned well with the goals of the women's group. They underwent intensive training, covering topics such as savings and resource mobilisation, financial planning and management, credit access, and the roles of banks in financial inclusion. In May, 19 out of 23 women from this group received their certificate. At the graduation ceremony, the women were connected with financial service providers.

This May in the Selous-Nyerere landscape, we received word of a lioness and her cubs invading a livestock enclosure in the middle of the night. Luckily, none of the animals were harmed. After receiving word of the conflict, our Lion Extension Officers swiftly sprang into action. They reinforced the livestock enclosure and set up lion lights to help ward off nocturnal predators. In the past, pastoralists would likely have retaliated against the lion but they are now recognising the benefits wildlife brings them from our Community Camera Trapping Plus programme and the support they get from Lion Landscapes to protect livestock. This particular pastoralist decided not to retaliate.

Can you name these animals? Let us know in the comments! All images were taken in village lands of the Ruaha Landscape through our Community Camera Trapping + programme.

Today, on Thank You Thursday, we want to express our gratitude to our supporter Safina Lion Conservation Fund for their donation to purchase two additional camera traps for our Community Camera Trapping Plus (CCT+) programme in the Ruaha landscape of Tanzania. This programme has been very successful in helping community development and improving tolerance for wildlife on village land and we are very grateful for the support. If you are interested in supporting this programme please contact cheryl.brown@lionlandscapes.org

Organising wildlife film showings, like this film night in the Selous-Nyerere landscape, are one of the key ways that we introduce ourselves to communities, build relationships, and educate those in attendance. Most of the residents have only experienced wildlife in a threatening environment. Imagine waking up in the middle of the night to an elephant in your kitchen raiding your pantry, or a hungry lion pacing around your house! As a result, the tolerance for wildlife is low and through our film nights, we get a chance to show them wildlife in the wild. People are often surprised to see their behaviour, such as, caring for their young and family relationships, because so many people associate wildlife with aggression. Children are always interested in film nights and for some, it is the first time they have seen a moving picture; they are initially mesmerised by the projector and images. The children are very engaged in wildlife documentaries and enjoy seeing the powerful pride of lions on the screen rather than in their backyard! We hope the wildlife documentaries and education we give have a lasting impression.

In rural Tanzania, many people lack access to quality healthcare. To support these communities, we provide benefits through our Community Camera Trapping + (CCT+) programme, including access to iCHF health insurance cards. This initiative has been successful in providing free medical treatment, doctor appointments, laboratory tests, and medicine to communities. This year, we have registered over 2000 beneficiaries within the Ruaha landscape. Our CCT+ programme provides tangible, additional support for communities, while also incentivising effective, appropriate conservation actions at a local level. You can find more information here: https://lnkd.in/etYs3uMU