科普知识学英语 非洲近半数狮子面临灭绝.docVIP

A new report concludes that nearly half of Africas wild lion populations may decline to near extinction over the next 20-40 years without urgent conservation measures. The plight of many lion populations is so?bleak（阴冷的，荒凉的）, the report concludes that fencing them in -- and fencing humans out -- may be their only hope for survival. Led by the University of Minnesotas Professor Craig Packer and co-authored by a large team of lion biologists, including Pantheras President, Dr. Luke Hunter, and Lion Program Director, Dr. Guy Balme, the report, entitled Conserving large carnivores: dollars and fence, was published today in the scientific journal Ecology Letters. ? It is clear that fences work and unfenced populations are extremely expensive to maintain, said Craig Packer, who also sits on Pantheras Cat Advisory Council. Using field data from 11 African countries, the Ecology Letters study examines the cost of managing fenced and unfenced habitats, and compares lion population densities and trends in both. The report shows that conservation costs are lower, and lion population sizes and densities are greater, in reserves secured by wildlife-proof fences, compared to unfenced ecosystems. Lions in unfenced reserves were subject to a higher degree of threats from human communities, including?retaliatory（报复的）?killing by?herders（牧人）, habitat loss and fragmentation, and overhunting of lion prey. ? Pantheras Dr. Luke Hunter explained, These findings highlight the severity of the lion conservation crisis today and the limited choices we have to ensure a future for the species. No one wants to resort to putting any more fences around Africas?marvelous（非凡的）?wild areas, but without massive and immediate increases in the commitment to lion conservation, we may have little choice. ? Whether fencing or some alternative physical boundary such as intensely managed buffer zones, it is clear that separating lion and human populations will be essential for the species survival. Along wi