Macossa-Tambara Lions
The Macossa-Tambara Ecosystem forms the western sector of the Greater Gorongosa-Marromeu Lion Recovery Unit in central Mozambique.
Lions are sentinels and key indicators of ecosystem health.
Where lions thrive, a balance of nature endures. Our team bring multiple decades of experience with lion recovery and restoration of the ecosystems they depend on.
Between 2012-2021, our team helped forge the recovery of indigenous lions in the Greater Gorongosa-Marromeu Lion Recovery Unit focusing our work in the the adjacent national park that lies on the eastern boundary of Macosssa. When we began our work, lions were facing certain extinction with 1-in-3 either maimed or killed due to the rampant poaching throughout the park. Our decade-long mission there alongside wildlife rangers and community leaders eventually turned the tide for lions and culminated in raising the number of lions from 30 to over 220 in just ten years. Because lions are such key species, their recovery in turn helped usher in the recovery of painted dogs and leopards - both efforts successfully led by our team.
Today an estimated 30-50 lions call the greater Macossa-Tambara landscape home. And we know that with its large and intact Miombo woodlands, and riverine and savanna habitats, and its shared boundary with corridors connecting to the national park, this landscape has enormous potential to support a robust lion population. We also know that the most effective path to recovery is if communities lead from the very start.
In 2023, we joined forces with the Wildlife Conservation Network's Lion Recovery Fund, which has been pivotal in their support for recovery of Macossa's lions and the Greater Gorongosa-Marromeu Lion Recovery Unit.
