Lion Guardians: Using human dimensions research to design a culturally appropriate conservation model to reduce lion killing in southern Kenya

Illegal behavior, as defined by government and international authorities, may not be seen as illegal or problematic to local communities who value the killing of wildlife as part of their cultural norms. Here we provide an... [ view full abstract ]

Illegal behavior, as defined by government and international authorities, may not be seen as illegal or problematic to local communities who value the killing of wildlife as part of their cultural norms. Here we provide an example of how using cultural values, traditional ecological knowledge, and high levels of local participation reduced lion killing. Lion Guardians targeted the group responsible for the elimination of lions, and worked with them to design a participatory model that utilizes and values their traditional role as warriors, to improve human-lion interactions. Two years of human dimensions research was conducted prior to the initiation of Lion Guardians. We collected nuanced data on the motivations behind lion killing, the traditional role of warriors and their attitudes/values and ecological knowledge of lions and their environment. Additionally, we systematically gathered background data on each lion killed as well as each surviving lion for a ten year period to acquire an accurate baseline from which to measure our impact. These data enabled us to develop a culturally-appropriate program that has measurable impact at reducing ‘illegal behavior’, aka lion killing (> 90%), over a broad area (> 5,000 km² in two countries of East Africa). This session will explore how human dimensions research in Kenya was applied to reduce illegal killing of lions.