Peaceful Coexistence – Cooperation between SAVE, Prowildlife and 24 Gute Taten e.V. advances lion protection in Botswana

Thanks to the successful collaboration between SAVE, Prowildlife and 24 Gute Taten e.V., we have significantly increased our presence in Botswana’s wildlife contact areas. Together, we have contributed to ensuring that not a single lion was killed by a farmer in 2025 up to this point.

SAVE’s lion protection teams are now actively recruiting new farmers for the programme in six different villages in the NG 32 and NG 35 concessions adjacent to the Okavango Delta. Where we have existing cooperations such as in Quqao and Morutsha, our teams are busy deepening these relationships. The dual objective of the program is to engage farmers as partners in lion conservation while simultaneously providing them with effective tools to safeguard their livestock from predators such as lions.

When farmers in Botswana see lions near their grazing areas today, the likelihood that they will shoot the big cats is significantly lower than before our project activities began. Our survey amongst 31 farmers revealed that more than 200 cattle, goats, horses, and donkeys had been killed by lions in 2021 which left many farmers feeling they had no choice but to take up arms. In 2024, this number was reduced to 85 and in 2025 to 15 so far, showing that our project has contributed to lesser livestock killings. Since starting our lion project, we have not only contributed to fewer livestock being taken by lions and fewer lions being killed. We have also helped farmers to enhance their protective structure —  by providing solar lights, predator-proof fences, and lion patrols that our rangers carry out. Moreover, we have changed the mindsets of many people through our workshops teaching communities about the benefits of conserving species and trainings that help improve livelihoods. We have achieved this together with the support of Prowildlife and 24 Gute Taten e.V. Thanks to our ongoing cooperation, our local team now includes 8 rangers and one cluster officer. The team goes into the communities and helps farmers approach the problem differently, without a hostile attitude towards lions. We believe that conservation can only be sustainable if the basic needs of the people are met which is why our holistic approach “Education 4 Conservation” spans species protection and educational project, as well as community development programmes that include income-generating activities.