The SCI Foundation’s efforts in Africa are centered on the sustainable use of African wildlife. As we have seen with many species and within many countries of Africa, conservation is most effective when wildlife have a value to humans. Worldwide, hunters have created this value.  Hunters have also generated the revenue needed to pay for wildlife research and management, especially in Africa.  Building on lessons learned from CAMPFIRE and other community-based wildlife management programs, SCIF continues to develop partnerships with wildlife agencies, local communities, private sector hunting companies and other conservation organizations. Through multi-nation programs and community based projects, SCIF is helping create a network of conservation programs that promote local and international wildlife management.  Focus: Lions

The SCI Foundation is committed to supporting lion (Panthera leo) research such as population surveys, facilitating the planning and implementation of national lion management strategies, and working on human-lion mitigation for lion range states.  The lion workshops allow African governments to plan national and regional lion management policies and are the foundation of a cooperative approach to the conservation and sustainable use of the African lion.  Regional workshops have been held in Cameroon (2005) and South Africa (2006).  National workshops have already been held in Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Workshops and current population surveys are planned for the remaining lion range states.   Focus: Government-Stakeholder Cooperation

Several years ago, SCIF realized that cooperation between government, industry and private stakeholder representatives was essential to enhance wildlife conservation in Africa.  In 2002, SCIF created the African Wildlife Conservation Forum (AWCF) to provide a way for African nations and other international agencies to obtain updates on current wildlife management issues, enhance communication among South African countries, and assist each other in solutions to common problems. 

The AWCF also includes professional hunting associations to provide an opportunity to discuss issues directly with their government representatives.  Since wildlife management regulations and trade directly involve both the governments and professional hunting industry, the AWCF is used to improve cooperation and refine conservation hunting operations.

In November 2009, the 8^th AWCF was hosted by Malawi and gathered 14 countries (12 countries were represented by high ranking government wildlife officials), 9 Professional Hunting Associations, and several NGOs such as the CITES Secretariat, IUCN, SASUSG, among others.  The top issues discussed include lion and leopard management and also international trade issues that will be addressed at the 15^th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES in March, 2010 in Qatar.