More than $1 billion needed annually to secure Africa's protected areas with lions.

Protected areas (PAs) play an important role in conserving biodiversity and providing ecosystem services, yet their effectiveness is undermined by funding shortfalls. Using lions (Panthera leo) as a proxy for PA health, we assessed available funding relative to budget requirements for PAs in Africa's savannahs. We compiled a dataset of 2015 funding for 282 state-owned PAs with lions. We applied three methods to estimate the minimum funding required for effective conservation of lions, and calculated deficits. We estimated minimum required funding as $978/km2 per year based on the cost of effectively managing lions in nine reserves by the African Parks Network; $1,271/km2 based on modeled costs of managing lions at ≥50% carrying capacity across diverse conditions in 115 PAs; and $2,030/km2 based on Packer et al.'s [Packer et al. (2013) Ecol Lett 16:635-641] cost of managing lions in 22 unfenced PAs. PAs with lions require a total of $1.2 to $2.4 billion annually, or ∼$1,000 to 2,000/km2, yet received only $381 million annually, or a median of $200/km2 Ninety-six percent of range countries had funding deficits in at least one PA, with 88 to 94% of PAs with lions funded insufficiently. In funding-deficit PAs, available funding satisfied just 10 to 20% of PA requirements on average, and deficits total $0.9 to $2.1 billion. African governments and the international community need to increase the funding available for management by three to six times if PAs are to effectively conserve lions and other species and provide vital ecological and economic benefits to neighboring communities.

The implication of the mineral ratios of Cucumis myriocarpus Naud. and Pergularia daemia (Forsk.) Chiov. in human diets.

Vegetables are considered to be the most affordable and sustainable sources of several micronutrients that are essential for physical and mental development, immune system functioning, and various metabolic processes in humans. However, their effectiveness as dietary sources of minerals is influenced by mineral-mineral interactions that may either enhance or reduce the absorption of certain micronutrients in the body. The awareness of such interactions, therefore, is useful when selecting vegetables that could help meet specific dietary criteria for improving micronutrient status. The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of Cucumis myriocarpus and Pergularia daemia as sources of mineral nutrients based on their mineral ratios for calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus. The Ca/Fe, Ca/K, Ca/Mg, and Ca/Zn ratios were 4.9, 0.9, 2.1, and 9.4, respectively, in C. myriocarpus. For P. daemia the same ratios were 1.7, 0.3, 1.6, and 9.7, respectively. A negative interaction was predicted between calcium and potassium, while the other calcium ratios were considered to be appropriate. The Fe/Zn ratio was adequate for C. myriocarpus (1.9) but excessive for P. daemia (5.6), while the K/Na ratio was good in both vegetables at 39.5 and 12.8, respectively. The P/Ca ratio was 0.2 in C. myriocarpus and 0.3 in P. daemia. Both wild vegetables could be promoted as natural sources for the minerals analyzed, but some adjustment of the P/Ca and Ca/K ratios would be required. Furthermore, the selection of P. daemia for either iron or zinc supplementation is not recommended because of the high Fe/Zn ratio.

Proximate and mineral composition of the leaves of Momordica balsamina L.: an under-utilized wild vegetable in Botswana.

Proximate and mineral analyses were conducted on the leaves of Momordica balsamina L., an under-utilized wild vegetable in Botswana. The protein, fibre, fat and ash contents were 288, 37, 54 and 127 g/kg, respectively. Potassium was the most abundant mineral at 27.05 g/kg, followed by magnesium (3.82 g/kg), phosphorus (3.24 g/kg), calcium (2.22 g/kg) and sodium (0.06 g/kg). Other minerals were zinc (0.39 g/kg), manganese (0.15 g/kg) and iron (0.14 g/kg). Compared with cabbage, lettuce and spinach, this wild vegetable contained more protein and fat, while the fibre content was less. Among the minerals analysed, the leaves of M. balsamina had higher values than those reported for the exotic vegetables, except for sodium. The wild vegetable could be promoted as a protein supplement for cereal-based diets in poor rural communities, while its high potassium content could be utilized for the management of hypertension and other cardiovascular conditions. The relatively high concentrations of zinc, iron and manganese could contribute towards combating the problem of micronutrient deficiencies.