Science & Knowledge

Understanding mountain lions. Advancing conservation. Informing action.

VIDEO: Joshua Lisbon

Science is the foundation of effective conservation. By studying mountain lions, their habitats, and the ecosystems they help sustain, we build the knowledge needed to guide policy, improve coexistence, and protect the landscapes all life depends on. 

Why Science Matters

Research helps replace assumptions with understanding and action.

Mountain lions are more than wildlife. They are key drivers of ecosystem health, influencing everything from prey behavior to biodiversity and habitat resilience. 

Understanding these relationships is essential to protecting both mountain lions and the landscapes they shape. 

Science helps us move beyond assumptions, revealing how ecosystems function and where conservation efforts can have the greatest impact. 

Mountain Lion Ecology

Habitat Connectivity

Ecosystem Health

Human-Wildlife Interactions

Understanding the species itself.

Protecting movement across landscapes.

Looking beyond a single species.

Understanding coexistence.

Research into behavior, movement, reproduction, survival, and population dynamics helps us better understand what mountain lions need to thrive in the wild.

Mountain lions require large, connected habitats. Science helps identify critical wildlife corridors and informs efforts to reduce habitat fragmentation.

Mountain lions influence the health of entire ecosystems through their relationships with prey, vegetation, biodiversity, and landscape resilience.

Research helps identify the causes of conflict and the strategies that allow people and mountain lions to share landscapes more successfully.

Turning Knowledge Into Action

Science only matters when it helps create better outcomes for people, wildlife, and ecosystems.

Research

Understanding

Policy & Coexistence

Protection

The Mountain Lion Foundation helps translate scientific understanding into practical conservation solutions – informing policy, strengthening coexistence, and protecting the landscapes mountain lions need to thrive.

Featured Science Stories

Introducing Utah Wild

Wildlife Belongs to All of Us Across the West, decisions about mountain lions and other native wildlife are too often shaped by fear, politics, and pressure from narrow interests. But wildlife does not belong to any one group, agency, industry, or political faction. Wildlife is held in public trust. It belongs to all of us, and

Read More »

The Lion Effect

What science reveals about the interconnected nature of healthy ecosystems.

Science reveals the interconnected relationships that sustain healthy ecosystems. Understanding those connections helps us protect not only mountain lions, but the landscapes they shape.

Scientists call it a trophic cascade. We call it The Lion Effect.

Help Shape the Future

Your support helps advance science, strengthen coexistence, and protect the landscapes mountain lions help sustain.

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