Asiatic Lion conservation: Gir distribution, Project Lion, coexistence with Maldharis, and big-cat alliances

Geography & ecology of the “Greater Gir” landscape

The Asiatic lion’s only wild population lives in Gujarat’s Saurashtra, across a connected “Greater Gir” mosaic—core protected areas (Gir National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary) plus satellite sanctuaries (Girnar, Pania, Mitiyala) and surrounding agro-pastoral lands and coastal scrub. Recent ecological work and official notes emphasise that lions now use multiple districts beyond the original core, which is why conservation planning treats the unit as a landscape with core–buffer–corridor linkages rather than a single park.

Climatically, the habitat is a dry deciduous–thorn savanna mosaic. Connectivity matters: dispersing sub-adults use riparian strips, scrub, and field margins to step out from the core, which is why linear barriers (roads, wells, fences) and poorly designed canals are perennial risks in the matrix. Habitat suitability therefore hinges on: (a) wild ungulate prey in village peripheries, (b) safe crossings, and (c) keeping corridors open when settlements expand.

Where the numbers stand—and what they imply

Gujarat announced results of the 16th lion estimation in May 2025: 891 lions (up from 674 in 2020), reflecting both demographic recovery and range expansion into 11 Saurashtra districts. A notable share now persists outside notified PAs—a management success that simultaneously raises conflict and safety questions (open wells, highways, disease, retaliatory risk).

Conservation biology: viability, disease & a second population

Classic small-population risks apply: inbreeding, demographic stochasticity, and especially disease. The 2018 canine distemper virus (CDV) epizootic was a warning; RT-PCR detected CDV in scores of lions, and the state later reported at least 34 CDV-linked deaths that year. This is precisely why managers press for diversified subpopulations and One-Health surveillance.

On diversification, the Supreme Court (2013) ordered translocation of some lions to Kuno (Madhya Pradesh) to establish a second free-ranging population; the judgment remains a key precedent on species-level risk reduction and inter-State stewardship.

In parallel, Gujarat has advanced Barda Wildlife Sanctuary on the Saurashtra coast as an emergent “second home.” After natural ingress in 2023 and assisted management (invasive removal, grassland restoration, herbivore supplementation), Barda now holds about 17 lions, with breeding recorded—evidence that a coastal subpopulation can take root if restored and buffered.

Law & institutions you must name in answers

• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I protection for the Asiatic lion; PA categories (NP/WS), powers of NBWL/State Boards, and penalties. Quote WLPA for bail/penalty stringency and note translocation/capture must minimize trauma.

• NBWL: apex statutory advisory body (PM chairs; Standing Committee clears projects in/around PAs). For mains, situate corridor/linear-project debates within NBWL mandate.

• Constitution: Art. 48A (State duty) and Art. 51A(g) (citizen duty) are reliable hooks for introductions/conclusions; courts routinely invoke them in wildlife jurisprudence.

Schemes & governance design: what “Project Lion” actually covers

Announced on Aug 15, 2020, Project Lion shifts from a park-centric to a landscape ecology approach. Core components include habitat improvement (grassland, water), prey augmentation, corridor security, modern monitoring (camera traps, telemetry), health surveillance/NIHSAD tie-ups, and conflict mitigation with community participation and livelihoods. Parliamentary and PIB notes since 2024–25 reaffirm these pillars and the push to build national capacity in big-cat disease diagnostics.

How lions are counted (data governance): the 2025 exercise combined beat-verification with camera traps, radio collars, GIS mapping and real-time e-data capture (e-GujForest), and independent observers—good practice to cite for transparency.

Coexistence with Maldharis: what works, what to watch

Maldharis—pastoralists living in ness hamlets—are central to Gir’s story. Studies show lions derive ~25–42% of biomass from livestock, much of it scavenged, not predated; pastoralists, in turn, benefit via free-grazing rights and offsetted costs. This mutualism explains why coexistence, not fortress exclusion, underpins the landscape.

The State runs ex-gratia compensation for livestock depredation and for human injury/death; contemporary research documents the scheme’s role (and gaps in claims uptake/processing), reminding you to argue for simpler, faster, tech-enabled payouts linked to verified events.

Historically, large-scale resettlement of ness families in the 1970s reduced inside-PA livestock pressure and allowed wild ungulates to rebound—useful context when weighing today’s “coexistence vs relocation” trade-offs.

Field toolkit for conflict reduction (what to write): predator-proof night corrals; early-warning and rapid response; insurance; safe well-covers; no-baiting tourism codes; and community scouting on crop harvest nights. (Illicit baiting for private tourism spikes risk—cite as a caution).

Habitat management playbook (static, but exam-scorable)

• Grassland & invasive control: replace Prosopis/Lantana with native grasses; seed banks and phased mechanical removal; pair with prey restocking only where science supports it (Barda’s sambar/chital support is a live case).

• Water regime & fire lines: seasonal waterholes near edges to reduce village incursions; maintain fire lines in teak-thorn.

• Health infrastructure: quarantine, rescue/rehab, necropsy protocols, vaccination shields for dogs/livestock; integrate with wildlife forensics for poaching/disease tracing.

• Linear-infrastructure safeguards: underpasses at conflict hotspots, well-covers, canal ramps; NBWL-conditioned EIAs for projects bisecting use-areas.

“Big-cat alliances” & international cooperation

India launched the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) in April 2023 to share know-how across tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma range countries. For answers, position IBCA as a vehicle for common SOPs on genetics, corridors, health surveillance, illegal-trade control and capacity building—use it to argue for cross-learning (e.g., lion disease management protocols).

Tourism & livelihoods: getting incentives right

Permit-based tourism on designated routes brings revenue and political support; but where lions now roam outside PAs, governance must pivot to community-land codes: no baiting, speed limits, and visitor caps aligned to carrying capacity. Link eco-tourism revenues to village-level conservation assets (well-covers, predator-proofing, rapid compensation kiosks).

Case law & administrative jurisprudence: the precedents to quote

• Centre for Environmental Law, WWF-I v. Union of India (2013) — SC ordered establishing a second free-ranging lion population at Kuno; extract principles: species-level risk mitigation, expert-led site selection, time-bound compliance.

• In recent orders across environmental matters, the Court has foregrounded constitutional duties (48A/51A(g))—useful for “way forward” framing even in wildlife disputes.

Data drills & ready-reckoners (Prelims/Mains)

• Latest count (2025): 891 lions; range across most of Saurashtra; > half outside PAs—implication: corridor and community-safety priorities.

• Key sanctuaries to locate on a map: Gir NP & WLS, Girnar, Pania, Mitiyala (core–satellite system); Barda as an emergent coastal refuge.

• 2018 health shock: CDV outbreak; institutionalize One-Health surveillance and vaccination shields in buffer villages.

How to structure a high-scoring Mains answer

• Intro options: (a) “From 674 (2020) to 891 (2025), the only wild Asiatic lion population now spreads across 11 districts—promise and peril of a landscape-level recovery,” or (b) “Coexistence with Maldharis: India’s distinctive big-cat model.”

• Body buckets: ecology → Project Lion & law → Maldhari coexistence economics & compensation → risks (disease/linear barriers) → second-population strategy (Kuno/Barda) → way forward.

• Way forward staples: legally backed corridors; rapid, tech-enabled compensation; One-Health labs in-landscape; well-cover and underpass missions; participatory monitoring via local institutions; time-bound creation of a second free-ranging population.

Quick revision box (what to “underline” in your notes)

• WLPA Schedule I + NBWL clearance logic; Art. 48A & 51A(g) hooks.

• Numbers that matter: 891 lions (2025), multi-district spread; Barda ~17 and breeding.

• Why a second population: CDV 2018 + single-site risk → SC 2013 Kuno order.

• Coexistence economics: lions scavenge a lot; compensation schemes exist—improve speed and coverage.

• IBCA: platform for shared SOPs on health, corridors and illegal trade.