Subspecies introgression: insights and implications for lion management and policy

 

Authors: Bertola L.D., Nicholson S.K., Bauer H., Masembe C., Chege M., Asfaw T., Breitenmoser U.

Published: Cat News 84, 32–36 (2025)

Abstract: Hybridisation is increasingly recognised as a common process across taxa, with
genomic tools providing more detailed insights into its role in shaping species and
subspecies boundaries. In lions Panthera leo, hybridisation occurs naturally within a
zone in Ethiopia and neighbouring countries, where the ranges of the northern P. l. leo
and southern P. l. melanochaita subspecies overlap. This zone spans a vast geographic
area and contains a substantial number of individuals. We review current knowledge
of this hybridisation zone, its historical and ecological context, and its implications for
conservation policy and management. Evidence shows that the observed admixture is
a natural phenomenon, shaped by past climatic fluctuations and subsequent secondary
contact, rather than by anthropogenic interventions such as translocations. However,
how such admixed populations are treated in conservation assessments remains
unresolved. While the IUCN Red List provides guidance against evaluating hybrid
taxa, it does not exclude naturally admixed populations, creating ambiguity in their
assessments. Given ongoing declines of lions in West and Central Africa, populations
in the hybridisation zone may hold particular conservation importance, representing
reservoirs of genetic diversity. We argue that interventions to halt introgression are
neither justified nor desirable; instead, conservation strategies should aim to assess,
monitor, and incorporate admixed populations appropriately. Recognising the potential
genetic value of these populations is essential to avoid the inadvertent loss of unique
diversity in Red List and Green Status processes.

 

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