Living Walls: The Innovative Solution That's Saving African Lions in Northern Tanzania

Maasai school children, staff at the Noloholo Environmental Center, and students from National Geographic, myself included, stand in front of a finished Living Wall which we constructed. Picture by Cameron Zegers.

The African Lion (Panthera Leo) has roamed the vast continent since ancient historic times. Throughout the rich history of Africa, they have been mythologized and idolized for their incredible strength and courage. Two thousand years ago, over a million lions inhabited our Earth. By 1940, their population had dropped to an estimated 450,000. Today, a mere 20,000 remain. How has this species, once worshiped for their incredible power and endurance, been reduced so significantly in a matter of years? Humans may be to blame, but not all hope is lost for the African Lion.

Lionesses in the Ngorongoro Crater feast on a wildebeest.

            As human populations skyrocket on the African Continent and worldwide, more and more land is devoted to satisfying their needs. In Eastern Africa, the seemingly endless savannahs are nearing their carrying capacity far sooner than anticipated. Wildlife habitats are being depleted at alarming rates, leading to a rapid decline in primary consumers such as zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, and impalas. The food chain has been ruptured, and consequently, the lion population is dwindling. In the Maasai Steppe, a rural region that is home to the second largest concentration of wildlife in Northern Tanzania, the semi-pastoralist Maasai tribe must compete with wildlife populations in order to allow their livestock to graze.  Take away their pastures, and their entire livelihood is lost. Take away lion habitats, and they will soon become extinct. To further complicate this issue, lions will often prey on Maasai livestock, costing families thousands of dollars. Maasai tribes will often retaliate by killing the lions with spears and poison. Many young Maasai warriors will poison animal carcasses and leave them out for lions to feast on. This is especially dangerous because it has the potential to wipe out anywhere from a single lion to an entire pride. This complex issue has created a situation in which everyone loses and nobody wins. Fortunately, Doctor Laly Lichtenfeld of the National Geographic Big Cats initiative has a solution.

A Maasai warrior leads his livestock to pasture.

            Dr. Lichtenfeld has spent over 20 years on the ground in Northeastern Africa, tracing and studying lion populations in the region. She now resides in rural Tanzania, where she worked with her husband to establish the Noloholo Environmental Center for research as well as community programs. She has fostered a close relationship with nearby Maasai communities, and has worked with them to solve the conundrum of lion predation on livestock. And thus, the Living Wall was born. Living Walls are fences constructed with chain link and local acacia trees as fence posts. As the trees grow, their thorny branches add height to the fence, preventing lions from leaping over them.  Using the acacia as fence posts also eliminates the cost of purchasing and transporting posts hundreds of miles to the Maasai Steppe. The Living Walls cost about $500 each and last for a minimum of 20 years. 

12 year old Mwanaidi Bakari helps me to affix the chain link to an acacia tree post.

These fences have so far been 100% effective in preventing attacks on livestock and keeping both lions and livestock safe. The Noloholo Environmental Center comes together with the Maasai community to install these fences around livestock enclosures. Together, they are preventing the deaths of approximately 75 lions each year, a number that will only increase as more fences are installed. With each new Living Wall, another village sleeps soundly at night, with the assurance that their livestock are safe. With each new Living Wall, a few more lions are saved from premature death. African Lions have certainly not seen their final days on the Maasai Steppe. 

Five Maasai Junior Elders, in their traditional attire.

            

For more information on the Living Wall project, watch Dr. Lichtenfeld's TEDx talk here.