The conservation of wide-ranging species in an increasingly human-dominated environment reaches beyond the borders of national parks, and requires an alternative to traditional fortress conservation. Persistence of wide-ranging species requires a landscape-scale management approach, which allows for the movement of animals across international boundaries and through networks of protected areas, ensuring genetic diversity and viable populations. This dissertation highlights the importance of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) in southern Africa as one of the last strongholds of the African lion (Panthera leo) in the 21st century. It is home to what is possibly the geographically largest intact population of lions left in the wild, stretching from Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe throughout north-eastern Botswana to the Okavango Delta. The connectivity of protected areas within the TFCA is one of the major requirements to ensure the viability and genetic health of its lion population.