Numerous successful rewilding projects in Southern and East Africa are providing a glimmer of hope that the decline in wild populations of iconic species such as lion in only an estimated 7 of its historic range today can be reversed.
Lions increasingly face pressure from habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching and snaring. According to conservation charity LionAid, wild lions are extinct in 26 of the 48 African countries where they were originally found. Although exact figures are disputed, LionAids 2025 Synthesis of Lion Numbers in Africa estimates that just over 13 000 wild lions remain in Southern and East Africa.
Conservationist and Natural Selection Co-Founder Colin Bell says, while it is easy for these statistics to paint a picture of doom and gloom, the successful rewilding of newly created protected areas provides a blueprint for saving iconic wildlife species.