Big Cats Initiative: Human-Lion Coexistence in Tanzania

Through the Big Cats Initiative (BCI), the Great Plains Foundation supports a diverse portfolio of grantees working on the frontlines of conservation. BCI not only funds established efforts but also invests in emerging, locally led organisations, strengthening community-based conservation, fostering innovation, and scaling solutions that promote human-lion coexistence.

One such organisation is WASIMA.

WASIMA – “People, Lions, and Environment”- is a locally led NGO in western Tanzania that works with communities to reduce human-lion conflict, protect livestock, and promote sustainable livelihoods through education and conservation initiatives.

GP interviews/speaks with Jonathan Kwiyega, the Executive Director of WASIMA.

Conservation Impact

What has been the most meaningful conservation success you’ve seen since the project began?

One of the most significant successes has been the substantial decline in retaliatory lion killings. Before the project began, it was common for lions to be killed after attacking livestock, especially in communities that had few options to protect their animals. Before 2023, over eight lions were being killed per year in the southern Tanzania landscape. Since then, we’ve installed over 70 lion-proof bomas and worked closely with villagers to raise awareness on the importance of coexistence. That change, especially in hotspot villages, has made a real impact on both lion survival and community safety. It’s powerful to witness that shift, where people are choosing to live alongside lions rather than seeing them as enemies.

How has your approach helped reduce conflict between communities and big cats?

Our approach centres on community involvement and practical, locally driven solutions. By working closely with livestock keepers, traditional leaders, and youth groups, we understand their challenges and co-create strategies to reduce risk.

Lion Conservation Ambassadors (LCAs) manage and monitor human lion conflict, while lion-proof bomas provide reliable nighttime protection for livestock. Loudspeaker Early Warning Systems (LEWS) alert communities when lions are nearby, giving them time to respond safely.

Alongside these tools, we use education, traditional storytelling, and local champions to shift perceptions, helping people see lions not as threats, but as vital to the ecosystem. This blend of physical protection and cultural engagement has significantly reduced conflict and fostered coexistence.

Can you describe a moment that reminded you why this work is so important?

There was one moment I’ll never forget. We were holding a community meeting in a village where conflict with lions had been intense. As we started explaining how lion-proof bomas could help protect livestock, a man who had been drinking interrupted us. He shouted over us, insulted our team, and told everyone not to waste their time listening. What happened next really moved me. Before we could even respond, the rest of the community stood up for us. One elder said, “We’re tired of always living in fear and fighting lions. These people are helping us find a better way.” Others nodded and told the man to sit down so the meeting could go on. It was powerful.

The community didn’t just defend us; they defended the idea of living peacefully with lions. That moment made me proud, not just because of the work we were doing, but because it showed that people were starting to believe in the possibility of change. It reminded me that this isn’t just about saving lions, it’s about helping people feel safer, more hopeful, and more connected to the natural world around them.

Community Engagement

How has your work changed the way communities view big cats in the landscape?

When we first started working in these villages, most people only saw lions as a threat, something to fear, and something that takes their livestock and brings stress to their lives. It was hard to talk about coexistence when people were still angry and grieving losses.

But slowly, through conversations, listening to their stories, and introducing practical tools like Lion-proof bomas and early warning systems, that mindset started to shift. People began to see that we weren’t just asking them to protect lions, we were helping them protect their way of life, too.

One of the most powerful shifts comes from taking community members—especially youth and local leaders—into the National Park. For many, it’s their first time seeing a lion in the wild. I remember a young man saying, “I’ve lived near the bush all my life, but I’ve never seen a lion like this—free, not hunted or feared.” Moments like these spark change. People return with a new perspective, beginning to see lions not as threats, but as part of what makes Tanzania special. It’s not instant, but it’s the first step toward coexistence built on pride and respect.

What role do local people play in the success of your project?

WASIMA is a locally led grassroots non-profit and non-government Organization. We are the locals leading and learning from locals. Three of our major values are community first, context, and family culture. We believe local communities are the primary lion conservation stakeholders and must be at the center of conservation initiatives; most of our conservation initiatives are community-led and maximize conservation benefits and local participation in lion and other wildlife conservation.

From the start, we knew that if the community wasn’t on board, no amount of training or tools would make a difference. These are the people who live with lions, who lose livestock, who hear the roars at night. They understand the risks better than anyone else.

In southwest Tanzania, semi nomadic agropastoral communities play a vital role in shaping solutions on the ground. They help identify real challenges, build lion proof bomas, report lion movements, and share coexistence messages in their own language and cultural context. Some have even become project ambassadors—defending lions in conversations where they once might have supported killing them.

To us, the most powerful change is when someone who used to fear or hate lions becomes someone who protects them, a Lion Conservation Ambassador. That shift can only come from within the community, and it’s the reason this project keeps moving forward. We’re not just working with local people; they are the heart of everything we do.

Can you share a story of someone in the community whose life was positively impacted?

There’s a woman I’ll always remember in one of the hot spot villages; Kibaoni village, in the southern part of Katavi National Park. She told us that before getting a lion-proof boma, she was losing goats almost every month. It was stressful and discouraging, and it made it hard for her to plan for anything long-term.

But after we helped her install the boma, everything changed. She hasn’t lost a single animal in over a year. With that stability, she’s been able to save money and pay school fees for her children. She told us how proud she feels now, not just because her animals are safe, but because she can provide for her family without fear. Even better, she’s been encouraging other women to do the same, showing them that it’s possible to protect their livestock and support lion conservation. She’s become a voice of hope and a powerful example of what this work is about.

Human-Lion Coexistence: Technology and Innovation

What recent new tools or methods has your team introduced, and what have you learned from them?

When human-lion conflicts spiked in hotspot villages, we introduced the Human Loudspeaker Early Warning System (LEWS) – a network of six village stations that alerts communities to lion movements and other dangerous wildlife. The system also provides conservation messaging and enables our WASIMA team to coordinate with partners in real time. Supervised by Lion Conservation Ambassadors under village leadership and managed by WASIMA. LEWS has reduced human-lion conflict, both livestock and human losses, by over 75% in the past five years.

We’ve also introduced Kobo Toolbox, which our Lion Conservation Ambassadors (LCAs) use to collect real-time data on human-wildlife conflict incidents in their villages. Before Kobo, reporting relied heavily on paper forms or word of mouth, which often caused delays or gaps in data. Now, LCAs can report conflict incidents, lion sightings, and livestock predation cases directly from their Smartphones, even in remote areas with limited internet.

We’ve learned that digital tools not only improve data accuracy but also make it easier to respond quickly and track patterns across seasons and locations. Most importantly, it’s empowered the LCAs; they now see themselves as part of a larger conservation monitoring system.

What lessons could other conservationists learn from the technology you’re using?

Having a simple, immediate community-driven information-sharing platform can be transformative for human-lion conflict mitigation. LEWS now plays a vital role in supporting the interests of lions, local communities, and conservation stakeholders alike. While initially introduced to address lion conflicts, the system has proven equally valuable for managing other human-wildlife conflicts, particularly human-elephant interactions. Building on this success, we plan to scale LEWS stations to additional villages, extending their impact even further.

A key lesson from using Kobo Toolbox is that technology doesn’t need to be expensive or complex to be effective—what matters is how it’s applied. Kobo is free, user-friendly, works offline, and offers instant data visualisation, making it ideal for rural conservation work.

For community-based programs, simple and adaptable tools that fit local contexts are invaluable. Equally important is involving local youth in data collection, which fosters ownership, long-term commitment, and higher-quality information.

Looking ahead, we aim to adopt a more advanced data collection tool to strengthen monitoring and evaluation. Achieving this will require additional resources to sustain the new system.

Education & Capacity Building

What impact has training and education had on the long-term success of your human-lion coexistence efforts?

Training and education have been foundational to WASIMA’s success, through school wildlife clubs, community meetings, and capacity-building workshops for local leaders, herders, and youth. We’ve seen a shift in attitudes, from viewing lions as threats to recognising their role in the ecosystem. These efforts have helped build local confidence, especially among young people, who are now more involved in conservation decisions and action.

Education has significantly contributed to reducing retaliatory killings and improving tolerance. It also builds a conservation ethic that will outlast our direct involvement. Education makes people feel included, heard, and respected. And when communities feel ownership over the solutions, they’re the ones who keep the work going long after we leave.

How are you building local leadership and capacity in your region?

When I started, it was hard to get elite paid staff to work with, because we had no funds to sustain them. I initiated the internship program- engaging young graduates to join the WASIMA team as volunteers. Today, over 10 staff members have grown as young, passionate local conservation leaders championing community conservation work within the WASIMA scope. Together, we start by working with the people who are already part of the community; young leaders, elders, village game scouts, and others who live with wildlife every day. Instead of leading from the outside, we focus on strengthening their knowledge and confidence so they can lead from within.

Through training, we’ve helped youth become Lion Conservation Ambassadors (WASIMA has capacitated over 100 as Village Game Scouts), women become advocates for coexistence, and men take on roles in monitoring and protection. Some of these people were once unsure of their role in conservation, but now they’re leading village meetings, helping resolve conflicts, and teaching others.

We also support alternative livelihoods for both women and men, things like poultry keeping, beekeeping, and small business support. These activities give families more stability and reduce the pressure to rely only on livestock, which in turn lowers the risk of conflict with predators.

It’s not just about giving people tools; it’s about helping them believe in their ability to create change. When local people feel ownership and pride in the work, that’s when real, lasting impact happens.

What advice would you give to the next generation of ‘big cat’ conservationists?

Have the courage to listen and the patience to learn. True big cat conservation starts with the people who share their land with these animals. Spend time in communities, understand their challenges, respect their knowledge, and build trust over months and years. Conservation isn’t only about protecting wildlife; it’s about creating coexistence. Share what you know about big cats’ behaviour and their role in maintaining balance, but listen more than you speak — that’s where real solutions emerge.

Change is slow. There will be setbacks, but small wins; a family no longer losing livestock, a child inspired to protect a lion, a village choosing coexistence, are what build lasting impact.

Above all, stay rooted in your “why.” You’re not here to be a hero; you’re here to protect life and create space for people and wildlife to thrive together. That takes humility, consistency, and heart. Keep learning, keep showing up, and remember you are a part of something bigger than yourself.

Human-lion Coexistence – The Bigger Picture:

Why is protecting big cats critical to protecting broader ecosystems?

Big cats sit at the top of the food chain. When their numbers are healthy, they maintain herbivore populations, such as buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest, in balance. This prevents overgrazing and allows grasslands and woodlands to recover, supporting everything from insects to antelopes to birds. It even helps protect water quality by keeping soils stable around rivers and streams. In short, protecting lions means protecting the entire web of life that depends on those habitats.

What gives you hope for the future of big cats?

Over the last three years, we’ve seen how quickly attitudes can change once communities feel ownership of conservation work. In areas where we’ve built predator-proof bomas, lion sightings have increased around villages, showing that cats are reclaiming space where they’d been driven out. At the same time, young people trained as Lion Conservation Ambassadors are joining regional wildlife forums and sharing data with park authorities. That mix of local buy-in plus solid monitoring gives me confidence that lions can thrive alongside people, rather than despite them.

If you could share a message with the world about lion conservation, what would it be?

Lions don’t belong in zoos or stories alone; they belong here, in the wild places that feed our planet and our spirits. Every lion saved strengthens the web of life that feeds our rivers, nourishes our soils, and brings us closer to nature. You can help by supporting community-led conservation efforts that provide people with the tools and respect they need to coexist with lions. When we stand together, People and Lions will live in harmony.