A Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences-published paper has unveiled that lion populations in areas including West, Central and East Africa are declining at sharp rates. The researchers said that the populations will decline by around 50% in the next two decades.

In the research, researchers from the University of Oxford studied surveys of 47 lion populations across Africa. These surveys were carried out since 1990. The researchers considered these surveys and made observations on how the animals would do in the next two decades.

Past studies of African lion populations have produced a spotty picture of the apex predators' numbers. For instance, a 2013 study found that lion populations had plummeted in Uganda, and a 2014 study suggested they faced being eliminated from West Africa. But in other areas, lions were doing well. The lion had virtually disappeared from some parts of South Africa, but after reintroduction and conservation efforts, the iconic predator prowls in 50 areas where it was once scarce, Hunter said.

To get a more complete picture of the African lion's fate, Hunter and his colleagues looked at 8,221 lions in 47 different populations across Africa going back to 1990. They found steep drops in the lion population in western and central Africa. Over the next 20 years, those regions can expect to lose half their lions if current trends continue, while much of East Africa can expect to lose a third of their lions at the current pace, the researchers reported in a new study published today (Oct. 26) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

But it isn't all bad news for the big cats: In South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Namibia, lion populations have been steady or increasing. Most of those lions were in fenced-in reserves, and the countries had thriving wildlife tourism economies and thus had devoted significant resources to conservation.

They came up with very negative results. In the surveys, 8,221 lions were observed and it was found that in the last 25 years, lion populations have witnessed a decline in every place leaving four nations Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

A trend was noticed in West Africa and East Africa. In both the places, there is one region where the populations are not falling. Study's lead researcher Hans Bauer said that West and Central Africa have 67% chance of witnessing their lion populations declining by half over the next two decades. There is a 37% chance in East Africa.

Protecting lions in densely populated areas such as West Africa — which also hosts some of the poorest countries in the world — will be a bigger challenge, as many of those countries have scarce resources to address even the human population needs, Hunter said.

But those countries still have options, Hunter said. One of the simplest measures is to teach people methods to protect their herds, such as building better fences or moving their livestock into sturdy corrals at night, Hunter said. These efforts have the benefit of enriching the local human populations as well, he added.

To maintain prey species, regions with struggling lion populations need to fund more conservation workers to patrol wildlife refuges and to remove snares when they see them. Although that's a pricey endeavor, it will benefit species other than lions, from elephants to rhinos, Hunter said.

In addition, while African countries could devote more resources to conservation, Western aid groups may need to increase support if they want to see the iconic symbol of Africa survive, he said.

The researchers said, "Unless political and funding commitments are scaled up to address mounting levels of threat, lions may disappear from most of Africa". The study has highlighted about dim future of African lions.