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The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust (ALERT)

The African Lion and Environmental Research Trust (ALERT) is dedicated to the facilitation and promotion of sound conservation and management plans, by means of a responsible development approach, for the African lion (Panthera leo), recognizing their potential to provide substantial social, cultural, ecological and economic benefits.

In most cases the challenges facing Africa’s wildlife and its people are too great, too complex, and require too many resources, for any one organization to address. We believe that the challenges facing Africa can best be met by uniting community and policy makers with conservation leaders, researchers and business leaders in order to make the best decisions for Africa’s people, its environment and its wildlife. Such a union will ensure that both present and future generations are able to enjoy the benefits of Africa’s environmental services by integrating the protection of those natural processes with economic and social development.

Decision making is not a trade-off between economic development and environmental planning. Decisions have to take into account both – conservation must be at the centre of how our economies and our countries work.

By acting collectively the stakeholders of Africa can combine expertise, knowledge and funding to generate real, long-lasting, cost efficient and responsible solutions that are reflected in policy from national governments all the way through the structure of society to the actions of the individual.

Local solutions… Responsible development promotes the implementation of locally conceived solutions that benefit from the experience and knowledge of schemes that have been successfully implemented elsewhere.
Cooperative solutions… Responsible development promotes the evaluation of locally conceived conservation solutions in the context of relationships within the local system as well as with the wider system within which the local system functions.
Relevant solutions… Responsible development promotes community involvement in all aspects of conservation from design and implementation to on-going reviews of the success of the program – an element often given little heed.
Long term solutions… Responsible development seeks to appreciate the need for long term solutions in a short-term world.

In alignment with our holistic ethos our efforts are channelled through three entities:
ALERT – implements sound conservation and management plans for the African lion fostering African solutions to African challenges
Conservation Centre for Wild Africa (CCWA) – focuses on the conservation of habitat and the diversity of Africa’s wildlife in recognition of the symbiotic relationship between the lion and the delicate ecosystems on which it relies.
ALERT Communities Trust (ACT) - promotes community action in support of conservation by raising awareness and empowering people to protect and restore their environment thus improving livelihoods.

ALERT, through its ACT division is partnered with THAF to promote empowerment and benefit sharing with communities surrounding the conservation areas within which we work, from which local support of conservation initiatives can be derived.

More information about ALERT can be found at www.lionalert.org