California Grants New Protections to Threatened Mountain Lions

Isolated by freeways and cities, coastal mountain lions risk inbreeding to extinction.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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State fish and game officials have declared mountain lions in the Central Coast and Southern California as threatened under the state's endangered species act. This will trigger habitat protections and reduce further habitat loss and fragmentation for the iconic predators, which play a crucial role in maintaining ecosystem balance. However, the move has faced some pushback from builders and ranchers concerned about increased costs and conflicts with mountain lions.

Why it matters

Mountain lions are one of the last big predators keeping California's coastal ecosystems in balance, but they are facing an 'extinction vortex' due to isolation, inbreeding, and threats like vehicle collisions and rat poison. Protecting their habitats is crucial to ensuring the survival of these charismatic predators.

The details

The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to list six groups of Central Coast and Southern California mountain lions as threatened, accounting for about one-third of the roughly 4,200 mountain lions in the state. This will trigger habitat protections and require developers to reduce harm to mountain lion habitats when possible. Builders have raised concerns about increased project costs, while ranchers worry about more conflicts with mountain lions attacking livestock. However, state wildlife officials say they will continue to prioritize non-lethal methods to manage conflicts.

  • In 2019, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Mountain Lion Foundation petitioned to add Central Coast and Southern California mountain lions to the state's endangered species list.
  • In December 2025, a state report recommended listing these mountain lion populations as threatened.
  • On February 12, 2026, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to list the mountain lions as threatened.

The players

California Fish and Game Commission

The state agency that voted to list Central Coast and Southern California mountain lions as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.

Chris Wilmers

A professor of wildlife ecology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and lead investigator of the Santa Cruz Puma Project.

Tiffany Yap

The urban wildlands science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, which petitioned to add Central Coast and Southern California mountain lions to the state's endangered species list.

Greg Fontana

A rancher whose family has ranched the coastal reaches of San Mateo county for generations and who argued that more mountain lion protections could spur more attacks on people and livestock.

Stephen Gonzalez

A spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, who said the department will continue to prioritize non-lethal methods to manage conflicts with mountain lions.

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What they’re saying

“If we want to maintain mountain lion populations in these coastal regions, then we've got some work to do.”

— Chris Wilmers, Professor of wildlife ecology, University of California, Santa Cruz

“These populations are facing an extinction vortex. We need these protections to get more connectivity on our roads, in our development, so that they can roam freely.”

— Tiffany Yap, Urban wildlands science director, Center for Biological Diversity

“People have them on cameras all the time eating house cats off peoples' porches, dogs dragged off in broad daylight right in front of their owners, and children being mauled.”

— Greg Fontana, Rancher

What’s next

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife anticipates it will continue to issue permits to scare off or relocate mountain lions involved in conflicts with people or livestock, evaluating each situation on a case-by-case basis and prioritizing non-lethal methods.

The takeaway

Protecting mountain lions in California's coastal regions is crucial to maintaining the ecological balance, but it has sparked concerns from some groups about increased costs and conflicts. The state's new threatened species listing aims to strike a balance by triggering habitat protections while still allowing wildlife officials to manage problem mountain lions through non-lethal means.