Lions are particularly sensitive to over-harvesting (Whitman et al. 2004) because the removal of pride males through hunting often results in infanticide by incoming males that kill the cubs to stimulate the onset of oestrus in females (Packer et al. 1988, 1990). Trophy hunting of lions is contentious due to uncertainty concerning its conservation impacts and because of the polarised views of stakeholder groups. The only area in South Africa where lions are trophy hunted in line with the most recent guidelines (Lindsey et al. 2013) is the Associated Private Nature Reserves (Timbavati and Klaserie Game Reserves) (Funston 2004). National guidelines for the trophy hunting of wild and wild managed lions should be developed.
The captive-bred lion hunting industry in South Africa has grown rapidly while the number of wild lions that are sport hunted in other African countries has declined (Lindsey et al. 2012a, b). Captive-bred lion hunting differs from wild lion hunting in that lions are hunted in smaller areas (49.9 ± 8.4 km2 compared to 843 to 5933 km2, depending on the country), hunts are cheaper (R160 000-R320 000 compared to R296 000–R608 000 [excluding the costs of shooting other species and government charges]), shorter (3.3 compared to 14–21 days), success rates are higher (99.2% compared to 51.0– 96.0%), and trophy quality is higher (skull length + breadth = 638.8 cm compared to 614–638 cm) (Lindsey et al. 2012a).
3.9.1 Impact of utilisation based on evidence
There are no systematic studies of the impact of trophy hunting of wild and managed wild lions in South Africa. However, the low numbers of lions hunted (< 10 lions per year) would suggest that trophy hunting does not impact the viability of wild and managed wild lion populations. It is generally recommended that lion quotas should either be set at about 3% of the total population (Creel & Creel 1997) or that offtakes should not exceed 0.5 lions/1000 km2 (Packer et al. 2011). Neither of these limits is likely to be exceeded for wild and managed wild lions in South Africa. Wild lions are occasionally hunted from the managed wild population in fenced reserves, such as Madikwe Game Reserve, Pilanesberg National Park and Venetia-Limpopo Nature Reserve. Lions from the Kruger National Park are trophy hunted in the Associated Private Nature Reserves in the Klaserie and Timbavati Game Reserves. These hunts are approved by the South African National Parks and are guided by a strict utilisation strategy (Funston 2004). Some additional permitted and associated with damage causing lions as well as illegal hunting of lions occurs along the northern border of Kruger National Park.
Although trophy hunting of wild and wild managed lions in South Africa probably does not affect populations in any significant way, the hunting of young male lions is not sustainable and it is now widely recognized that wild and wild managed lions should not be hunted if they are less than six years of age (Whitman et al. 2004). While it is difficult to age lions in the wild, there are some variables that can quite readily be assessed in dead or immobilized lions to assess their age (Smuts, Anderson & Austin 1978; Smuts, Robinson & Whyte 1980; Ferreira & Funston 2010b). Hunting alters the behaviour of lions in a number of ways, in particular the spatial utilisation of males (Yamazaki 1996; Becker et al. 2013), with the size and variation of home ranges of both sexes decreasing when trophy hunting ceases (Davidson et al. 2011).
3.9.2 Use value of the species
In the ten countries in Africa where wild lions are hunted they attract one of the highest mean prices (R296 000 to R608 000) of all trophy species (Lindsey et al. 2013). Although not many wild and managed wild lions are hunted in South Africa, across the various lion hunting countries lions generate 5–17% of gross trophy hunting income on national levels and are thus an important species for the trophy hunting industry (Lindsey et al. 2012a,b). The total revenue from hunting wild and managed wild lions in South Africa is thus likely to only be about R3 million per year.
In South Africa the average price for hunting captive lions was R152 916 in the 2006/2007 hunting season (Taljaard 2009), which had increased to R280 000 in 2011 (Lindsey et al. 2012). The total value generated from hunting captive lions amounted to about R98 million in 2006/2007. For all lion hunts, the prices quoted only include the species fee and not the substantial additional daily rates associated with hunts. There was a large increase in the number of lions hunted in the 2006/2007 hunting season compared to previous years.
3.9.3 Monitoring of current use
Between 1999 and 2008 South Africa reported in terms of the CITES Annual report (based on permits issued), the export of the parts of at least 5 186 lions [comprising trophies (3 983), skins (630), live (514) and bodies (59)]. Of these, 2,962 (about 57%) were reported to be from wild lions [adding trophies (2 413), skins (453), live (57) and bodies (39)]. Unlike any other range State, South Africa reported the export of a large number of wild source lion specimens that did not originate in South Africa. During that same time period, 316 wild sourced lion trophies, 397 wild source skins and 3 wild source bodies were imported to South Africa, but it is impossible to know from the data how many of these stayed in South Africa or were re-exported (Anon 2011).
However, it is possible to learn from the data that a minimum of 88 trophies and 12 skins that originated from wild sources in other range states were exported by South Africa during the decade (Anon 2011). In 2009 and 2010, 833 and 682 lion trophies were reported exported from South Africa respectively, more than double the combined export (2009, 471; 2010, 318) from other African countries (Lindsey et al. 2012a, b). There has been an associated increase in the prevalence of the export of lion bones from South Africa, according to the CITES Annual Reports. At least 645 bones/sets of bones were reported as exported in 2010, 75% of which went to Asia.
If the above statistics were an accurate reflection of actual exports of specimens of wild lion, then South Africa would have exported about 8.7% of its entire wild population per year. This clearly did not happen, and these statistics must therefore be carefully interpreted. The numbers of truly wild lions hunted over the same period never reached more than ten individuals per year. Therefore, trade data from South Africa must be treated with caution. Although only few wild lions are hunted in South
Africa it does not enforce a strict age minimum for trophies, although some reserves do (Funston 2004).
In response to a ministerial enquiry in December 2013 about lion body part trade to Asia, the DEA released the figures summarised in Tables 1 and 2. South Africa officially issued permits for the export of nearly (if not more than) 1 300 dead lions from South Africa to China, Lao PDR and Viet Nam from 2011 to 2012 inclusive.
3.9.4 Current quotas and permits issued
Permits for wild and managed wild lion hunts in South Africa are obtained on application from the appropriate provincial conservation authority, as are permits for hunting captive-bred lions. Clearly permits are not limited, given the number of captive lions hunted. Furthermore, many of the captive hunts are being reported as wild or managed wild lion hunts, and the relevant authorities are in the process of addressing the incorrect use of source codes in the issuance of permits.
We cannot quote anything that is so old. In the meantime a lot of things "could" have changed. All this is far too old to be useful 
What is the advantage of downgrading the lions? That you can hunt, sell etc. the lions? 
