Support our Strategy for  Harmonious Coexistence: Lions, Land & People

The Global White Lion Protection Trust’s mission is to return the White Lions to their rightful place; alive and flourishing within the Heartlands of their Sacred Natural Site and within the hearts of humanity. Moving beyond historical wildlife management methods of domination and exploitation, which showed little regard for time-honoured Indigenous ways of reverential stewardship, our core vision is one of deep and lasting transformation based on a loving and respectful approach to Mother Nature: transforming human-wildlife conflict into a living model of harmonious coexistence between all wildlife, land and people.

White Lions originate from one specific region on the globe, in the epicentre of UNESCO’s Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. They are site-specific, hailing from, and guarding over, a Sacred Natural Site^[1] known as the White Lion Heartlands^[2].

Culturally, White Lions symbolize the King of Kings and Queen of Queens, and their cultural role associated with restoring peace on Earth is matched by their critical ecological importance directly linked to good governance and ecosystem regeneration.

It has been established that apex species are key to the regeneration of their ecosystems and assist in rebalancing multiple trophic levels of species in an ecological process known as “trophic cascading”.

As the Capstone Animal at the Golden Tip of the Pyramid of Life, our efforts to protect the White Lions within their ancestral Heartlands help ensure the survival, continuance and flourishing of all other species that also live in their territories, many of which are rare, vulnerable or critically endangered^[3]. By ensuring the protection of the Kings and Queens of Nature, we restore the health, regeneration and harmonious coexistence not only of the greater ecosystem but also the foundations of peace in human systems that are fundamentally dependent on Nature’s wellbeing.

The White Lion Heartlands is recognized as the founding Sacred Natural Site of the Alliance for Sacred Natural Sites of Earth Gaia (ASSEGAIA), and the regenerative strategies for its protection form a replicable model for protecting other Sacred Natural Sites around the planet. The ASSEGAIA Declaration states that “because Sacred Natural Sites are irreplaceable and invaluable, they have the right to exist and to be protected without requiring a “business case” that assigns monetary value to their worth. No form of commercialisation or commodification of Sacred Natural Sites is acceptable.”

Accordingly, as a pioneering, ecocentric non-profit entity on the conservation frontline, we seek financial support from conscious private funders and international bodies for the preservation and protection of the White Lions, their Heartlands and their extended territories. The generous support of our benefactors over the past 3 decades has enabled the Trust to substantially expand its portfolio of protected territories. Each of these properties attracts costs for regenerative actions as well as general day-to-day operations.

The Global White Lion Protection Trust is involved in a multi-level strategy of integrated activities that can be summed up in the 3 focus areas of Lions, Land and People. Please see the documents created for each focus area, with a more detailed explanation of the Trust’s operational goals and long-term vision.

We invite you to play a deeply valued role in supporting our efforts to ensure the flourishing of the luminous White Lions in their endemic ecosystem and the restoration of harmonious coexistence on Earth

[1] Credo Vusamazulu Mutwa; Mystery of the White Lions, Linda Tucker, 2001

[2] The critical importance of Sacred Natural Sites for the survival and regeneration of the planet has been identified through various conservation entities, IUCN and UNESCO, with the ecocentric solution to their protection well identified in the ASSEGAIA Declaration, Davos, 2020

[3] Ecologists’ Report on rare, threatened and endangered species within the White Lions’ endemic territories