Protecting mountain lions requires more than understanding ecosystems. It requires laws, policies, and public decisions that reflect that understanding. Through advocacy, partnerships, and science-based engagement, we work to create durable protections for mountain lions and the landscapes they depend on.
For mountain lions, policy is not abstract. A single legislative change can remove hunting limits, authorize trapping, weaken habitat protections, or allow an already-declining population to be reduced further. Decisions made in statehouses, wildlife commissions, and public agencies can determine whether lions remain part of a landscape—or disappear from it.
Wildlife policy can take decades to build – and a single legislative session to dismantle.
Effective conservation depends on more than scientific understanding. It requires public policies, land-use decisions, and wildlife management practices that reflect what science tells us about healthy ecosystems.
From habitat connectivity and wildlife crossings to species protections and coexistence programs, policy shapes the conditions that allow mountain lions and the landscapes they inhabit to thrive. By bringing science, expertise, and public engagement into decision-making processes, we help create lasting conservation outcomes that benefit both wildlife and people.
Helping shape the laws and regulations that affect mountain lions and their habitats.
Protecting the pathways wildlife needs to survive.
Building support for conservation through education and advocacy.
Working with agencies, scientists, organizations, and communities.
Work with agencies, commissions, and lawmakers.
Wildlife crossings, corridors, fragmentation.
Action alerts, campaigns, community engagement.
Collaborative conservation.
Science
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Advocacy
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Policy
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Protection
Scientific research helps us understand what mountain lions need to survive and what ecosystems need to remain healthy. Advocacy helps translate that understanding into action.
By working with agencies, decision-makers, conservation partners, and the public, we help ensure that scientific knowledge becomes meaningful protection for wildlife, habitat, and future generations.
PHOTO: Anthony Trumbo New litigation challenges the science behind Arizona’s mountain lion hunting policies, and raises larger questions about wildlife management and the public trust. On August 7, the Center for Biological Diversity and Arizona conservationist Robin Silver filed suit against the Arizona Game and Fish Commission, the Arizona Game
During the first seven months of 2026, the Mountain Lion Foundation has been working across the West to strengthen protections for mountain lions, reduce conflict, and build lasting partnerships grounded in science, collaboration and practical solutions. From community meetings in southern Utah to research planning in Montana and coexistence work
SB 1135 now moves to the California Assembly As wildlife populations recover and communities continue to grow, encounters between people and wildlife are becoming more common. The question must be how we share space with wildlife, not is not whether we will. That’s why we were encouraged to see the California
Effective policy helps preserve habitat, maintain connectivity, and support coexistence. protecting the ecological relationships that make healthy landscapes possible. These connections are at the heart of The Lion Effect.
Protecting mountain lions and the landscapes they shape depends on informed public engagement. Together, we can help advance policies that support coexistence, connectivity, and long-term conservation.
