A statement released Monday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposes to list the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, due to losses in habitat and prey as well as increased conflicts with humans.

“The African lion – a symbol of majesty, courage and strength since earliest times – faces serious and continuing threats to its survival,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “Many wild populations continue to decrease in size, and the subspecies is estimated to occupy less than 22 percent of its historical range. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is committed to providing the necessary protections for imperiled species, both at home and abroad, and this proposal, if finalized, will help us do that.”

According to the statement, there are three primary factors that threaten the survival of African lions: habitat loss, loss of prey base, and increased human-lion conflict. While the lions can still be found all throughout Africa, approximately 70 percent of the current African lion population resides in only 10 major strongholds. National Geographic reports that up to 76,000 lions lived in Africa in 1980, but that number is down to approximately 30,000 today.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is also proposing a rule to help establish a permitting mechanism to import sport-hunted lion trophies from countries with recognized conservation programs and controlled lion populations. These actions are open for public comment for 90 days.

“By providing incentives through the permitting process to countries and individuals who are actively contributing to lion conservation, the Service will be able to leverage a greater level of conservation than may otherwise be available,” said Ashe.

If approved, the Endangered Species Act would prohibit activities such as import, export, commercial activity, interstate commerce, and foreign commerce, ensuring that people in the United States do not contribute to the decline of the African lion population.

“Listing it as a threatened species will bring the full protections of U.S. law to lion conservation, allowing us to strengthen enforcement and monitoring of imports and international trade,” said Ashe. “It is up to all of us, not just the people of Africa, to ensure that healthy, wild populations continue to roam the savannah for generations to come.”