Uganda has signed a 10-year agreement with the Wildlife Conservation Society to jointly manage the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, home to the country’s famed tree-climbing lions.

The conservation group will handle daily work including wildlife monitoring, community engagement and tourism development. Ugandan park authorities will keep charge of law enforcement and wildlife protection.

The deal covers about 500 square kilometres of the park’s southern stretch, long famous for lions lounging in fig trees.

The need is urgent. The park’s overall lion population has fallen by more than 90 per cent since the late 1970s, from around 400 animals to just 39 by 2022.

In Ishasha itself, fewer than five lions remain. Conservationists say the population cannot recover on its own and will likely need lions moved in from other areas.

Threats include conflict with livestock herders, habitat damage and poachers’ snares set for other animals. The new partnership aims to tackle these pressures together before the iconic lions vanish.