The Lion's Share

According to the , today, 40,000+ species are under threat of , mostly due to unsustainable human-led activities.

The Lion’s Share is proud to be working on the ground to safeguard some of the world’s most endangered , including:

🦏 The , whose numbers doubled across since the 1990s thanks to rhino conservation efforts, yet is still listed as critically endangered. Their biggest threat remains poaching for horns; in the last 10 years, almost 10,000 African rhinos have been killed to supply the illegal rhino horn trade. Today, 95% of black rhinos are found in just 4 countries: , , & .

🐅 The - the smallest subspecies in the world - found on the Indonesian island of . Only ≈600 are left in the wild. As their habitats have shrunk - due to expanding human settlements - their numbers have decreased too, particularly due to tiger poaching and illegal trading of tiger parts and products.

🦧 The , mainly found in the northernmost tip of Sumatra in the Ecosystem, is also listed as critically endangered. Key threats include logging, agricultural plantations, expanding infrastructure development, and the illicit pet trade.

🦍 The , a subspecies of the eastern , living in 2 isolated populations in the high-altitude forests in the volcanic, mountainous region that spans portions of the , & , as well as in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park of Uganda. Despite many human threats, mountain gorillas are making a promising recovery with conservation efforts and interventions.

This , The Lion's Share is prouder than ever to work in these precious ecosystems - including the Leuser - with conservation partners such as the unique team of female rangers working to take on illegal loggers threatening Sumatran tigers & other wildlife species. 🦧🐅🦍🦏

“To include women in environmental protection is simply restore the balance of nature. I want the entire conservation sector to change.”
 
Farwiza Farhan -- forest and Chairperson of Forest, Nature and Environment Aceh Foundation (HAkA) -- reminds us of the importance of including women as well as traditional wisdom to make more inclusive for all. 
 
is one of the partners we are honored to be working with in the ecosystem (Sumatra, ). Together, we focus on empowering local communities and engaging them in protecting the landscape, restoring their rights and relationship to the Land — which is theirs as much as it belongs to the 🐘, 🐅 and 🦧.
 
We are proud of Farwiza for having been featured on the 2022 list for her conservation efforts on the ground and we look forward to continuing to defend Mother Earth's precious ecosystems together. 
 
Check out ’s bio for the full article and video💙

Did you know that are partially blind and can barely see objects 98 feet away from them! Despite this, they are extremely agile on land and can make swift turns in small places. 🦏

The rhinoceros is our planet's armored giant and has been on our planet for millions of years. While nearly 100 known rhinoceros species have existed in the past, there are currently five species – white and black rhinos in , and the greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhino species in .

Today, poaching of rhinos for their horns, perceived market value as well as habitat loss are huge threats to both white and black rhinos.

According to , only about 5,200 black rhinos are left in the wild today, making this a critically endangered species. Yet, there is hope for us to safeguard this species. The ‘southern’ white rhino is a conservation success story – it’s been helped back from under 100 in 1895 to over 20,000 in the wild today.

We must make sure we don't lose these precious creatures. Not only because they’re a valuable link to our planet’s ancient past but also because rhinos play a crucial role in their environment by helping shape the African landscape and contributing to ecotourism, which can be a vital sustainable source of funds for local communities.

Helping protect the rhino = helping protect its environment for the benefit of both people & wildlife.

For , we remain committed to doing our part to (Sumatran, Javan, black, greater one-horned, white) and protect all endangered species💚

Today, we are highlighting the talented as a way of closing off our “Youth Photographers” Spotlight series. 💚

As “ ” is approaching, we want to celebrate one of humanity’s most precious natural heritages with inestimable environmental importance. 

Did you know: this area spreads out over 60% of ’s 🇧🇷 total land surface and parts of it extend into 8 South American countries and 1 overseas territory - 🇧🇷, 🇧🇴, 🇵🇪, 🇨🇴, 🇪🇨, 🇬🇾, 🇸🇷, 🇻🇪 and 🇬🇫 ? 

According to the , 5 million sq km of this land are covered by 🌳. In fact, the is an important regulator of the global climate patterns and a rich source of raw nutritional, medicinal, mineral and other forest-based raw materials. 

We must protect the Amazon from serious threats, mostly man-made, including logging, mining, infrastructure construction and fires. 

We are also excited to share that more of 
’s photos will be featured in our upcoming photo Essay end of September, which will give insights into our work with Fundacion Pachamama and Kapawi Ecolodge in 🇪🇨. Stay tuned!

“Advertisers & entrepreneurs can hold up a mirror for the planet we want. Even small, strategic steps in the media can help drive a global movement for nature conservation. Wildlife conservation makes business sense for both consumers and companies. Tackling the global biodiversity crisis will need transformational partnerships to protect nature and safeguard communities.” Usha Rao-Monari, Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator,

In anticipation of , and as part of our Youth Photographers Series, we are honoured to feature this majestic photo by the talented & , 💙

Kaitlyn photographed the whale shark in , where these animals are a rare gem.

But what exactly are whale sharks? Are they sharks? Are they whales?

A whale shark is the biggest living species of on our planet. It can grow up to 14 meters in length, and weight an average of 12 ton.

One of the most fascinating facts about whale sharks is that they all have a unique pattern - similar to human fingerprints! 🦈

According to the , whale sharks are one of the most vulnerable . In fact, among other threats, they are highly vulnerable to getting caught in fishing nets and ship collisions. 🛳

One of the ways to help safeguard them is to cut down on the use of and make sure to properly.

We our committed to honouring and protecting the whale shark and all surrounding us. Share this post and help us raise awareness!

Note: The diver in the photo was not blocking or chasing the animal; the shark repeatedly circled around and approached each diver out of curiosity for nearly an hour.

In anticipation of , and as part of our Youth Photographers Series, we are honoured to feature this majestic photo by the talented & , 💙

Kaitlyn photographed the whale shark in , where these animals are a rare gem.

But what exactly are whale sharks? Are they sharks? Are they whales?

A whale shark is the biggest living species of on our planet. It can grow up to 14 meters in length, and weight an average of 12 ton.

One of the most fascinating facts about whale sharks is that they all have a unique pattern - similar to human fingerprints! 🦈

According to the , whale sharks are one of the most vulnerable . In fact, among other threats, they are highly vulnerable to getting caught in fishing nets and ship collisions. 🛳

One of the ways to help safeguard them is to cut down on the use of and make sure to properly.

We our committed to honouring and protecting the richness of the whale shark and all surrounding us. Share this post and help us raise awareness!

Note: The diver in the photo was not blocking or chasing the animal; the shark repeatedly circled around and approached each diver out of curiosity for nearly an hour.

Every day is 🐘

Did you know that:

There are 2 species of elephants, African and Asian, and while they are similar in physiology, they are too biologically different to interbreed?

According to there are 10+ physical characteristics differentiating these two species. One of the easiest ways to spot an Asian elephant from an African elephant might be by looking at their ears: Asian elephants tend to have significantly smaller ears.

We must protect all Elephant species, as both are endangered: The Asian elephant is endangered with less than 40,000 remaining worldwide and the African elephant (Forest and Savannah) is threatened with less than 400,000 remaining worldwide.

Photo credits to the talented 💚

Today, on and as part of our 'Youth Photographers Spotlight' series, we are highlighting an shot by the talented .

Did you know that:

The word orangutan means ‘person of the forest’? 🌳

In fact, orangutans are perfectly adapted to their habitat: their long arms and feet allow them to grasp branches to easily travel through the forest.

This both allows them to travel within their habitat as well as allows light to reach the forest floor, helping the forest to regenerate naturally. 💚

According to data, in 2017 there were an estimated 57,000 Bornean orangutans, 13,000 Sumatran orangutans and 800 Tapanuli orangutan in the wild.

All species of orangutans are critically endangered and 80% of orangutans live outside of protected areas. This is due to the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of their forest habitat.

The threats include illegal logging, oil-palm plantations, forest fires and mining.

We are committed to protecting our natural environments as to protect orangutans and avoid species like the Bornean orangutan to lose 70-80% of its forest habitat by 2080.

Did you know that?

Humans & are closer to each other than either are to gorillas
Humans & chimpanzees have 98.8% shared DNA.

Chimpanzees are highly endangered. While 100 years ago, there were an estimated 1-2 million chimpanzees across 25 countries in Africa, today, there are as few as 350,000 wild chimpanzees across the Continent.

We must each do our part to conserve the environment, end habitat loss, illegal pet & meat trades, and all of the other threats facing our closest living relatives.

Today, we are also starting our 'Youth Photographers Spotlight' series, where we will be highlighting youth photographers each week, for 5 weeks until Youth Day.

The photo above is by the talented .

Rainforests are keeping our planet alive. 🌳
They’re home to half the world’s animal species, they provide us with freshwater, and are essential for keeping our climate stable. 🌡

Yet 3.75 Million Hectares of Tropical Primary Rainforests were Lost in 2021.
Last week was & every day we stand for decisive action to combat deforestation, reduce the effects of climate change, and protect our rainforests.

Proud that ‘s new series “Our Greatest National Parks”, narrated by , highlights the Lauder Ecosystem (Indonesia 🇮🇩) & features our conservation partner - a unique team of female rangers taking on illegal loggers threatening tigers 🐅 & other at-risk wildlife. 💚