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The increased targeted poaching of lions for the illegal trade in their body parts poses an undeniable threat to the species in Africa. Despite their iconic status, lions are now threatened across much of the continent and exist in only 6% of their historical range, with many populations in decline. A new study, co-led by the Endangered Wildlife Trust's Dr Samantha Nicholson, highlights the deliberate poaching of lions to satisfy the illegal trade in body parts.

Across the African continent, elephant populations have largely declined over the past several decades, but some areas show hopeful signs of recovery, according to a new study. Researchers have monitored the numbers of forest and savanna elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis, L. africana) in different parts of Africa since the 1960s. However, few stud ies have compiled all the survey data collected over decades, across the continent, George Wittemyer, study co-author and conservation biologist at Colorado State University, U.S., told Mongabay by email.

The coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic has created a profound crisis for conservation efforts in eastern and southern Africa as a result of the sudden cessation of all international travel in a region where nature-based tourism and conservation are closely interdependent.  The region’s unique wildlife populations and other natural assets — centered on spectacular landscapes such as the Serengeti and Okavango — underpin a multi-billion dollar 'wildlife…