The African lion is now listed as endangered in west and central Africa.

Considered one of the world’s most important conservation laws

The African lion is now protected under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Born Free Foundation has announced.

The decision has been made by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service four years after Born Free, along with other partner organisations, filed a petition to list African lions as endangered.

It means that the African lion is now listed as endangered in west and central Africa and threatened in east and south Africa, with a special rule pending that would require certain conditions to be met for the importation of any lion trophies from countries with a threatened population.

Commenting on the decision Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA and the Born Free Foundation, said: “It has been a very long four years waiting for this decision, with each year seeing more lions slaughtered by hunters for trophies.

"This is a victory and we applaud USFWS for agreeing that these animals deserve significant international protection under the ESA, popularly considered one of the world’s most important conservation laws. There is now hope for future generations to be able to witness the beauty of the lion in the wild.”

Born Free say that over the past thirty years, the number of African lions has declined by over 50 per cent as a result of retaliatory killings; loss of habitat and prey species; over-exploitation by recreational trophy hunters and commercial trade; disease; and other human-caused and natural factors.

Although there has been a significant and continued decline in their population, the number of lion trophies imported to the Unites States is on the rise. In 2014, trophy imports to the United States were greater than any other year preceding the decade and more than twice the number in 2005.

Roberts concludes: “We are hopeful the USFWS will be rigorous when investigating any management plans in lion range states and proposed trophy imports, and that the U.S. government will set the bar incredibly high before allowing any trophies to come in.”