Asiatic lion count rises to 891 (up 32% from 674 in 2020) per the 16th Population Estimation 2025; Union Minister Bhupender Yadav launches 'Lion' Species Spotlight Programme at Sasan Gir ahead of India's first IBCA Summit (June 1–2, 2026, New Delhi)
Why in News
On the eve of India's first-ever International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit — scheduled for June 1–2, 2026 in New Delhi under PM Modi's chairmanship with the theme *'Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem'* — Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the 'Lion' Species Spotlight Programme at Sasan Gir, Gujarat. The event served as a curtain-raiser, showcasing India's flagship conservation success — the Asiatic Lion (*Panthera leo persica*) — and dovetailed with three recent milestones.
First, the 16th Lion Population Estimation (May 2025) placed the Asiatic lion count at 891 individuals — a 32% rise from 674 recorded in the 15th estimation (2020). The all-India decadal arc is even more striking: from 523 lions in 2015 to 891 in 2025, a 70% increase in ten years. Census methodology used direct beat verification (zones, sub-zones, enumerators) rather than the pugmark-based method that tigers use, making the count statistically robust. Of the 891 lions, 384 live inside protected areas (with Gir NP + Gir WLS + Pania WLS forming the 394-strong core) while 507 are in non-forested 'dispersal' landscapes — up from 340 in 2020. Adult females now number 330 (a 27% jump) — a leading indicator of future growth.
Second, Barda Wildlife Sanctuary near Porbandar — long planned as a 'second home' under Project Lion (launched August 15, 2020) — has begun receiving natural dispersers. 17 lions were recorded at Barda in 2025, the first sustained natural lion presence there since 1879. Project Lion shifts conservation from species-specific protection to landscape-based ecological resilience and is meant to insure the population against localized risks such as canine-distemper-virus outbreaks (which killed 23 lions in the Dalkhania range in 2018).
Third, the lion enjoys layered legal protection: Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (highest category), Appendix-I of CITES (international trade ban), and Endangered status on the IUCN Red List. Gujarat has emerged as the only state in the world with a recovering Asiatic lion population — a textbook conservation story India is now exporting through the IBCA, founded in 2023 with seven big-cat range countries as founding members.
At a Glance
- Event
- 'Lion' Species Spotlight Programme
- Venue
- Sasan Gir, Gujarat
- Inaugurated by
- Union Min. Bhupender Yadav
- Build-up to
- IBCA Summit 2026 (Jun 1–2, New Delhi)
- 16th Population Estimation
- May 2025 — 891 lions
- Up from
- 674 (15th estimation, 2020) — +32%
- Adult females (2025)
- 330 (+27% since 2020)
- Lions inside protected areas
- 384
- Lions in non-forested dispersal zones
- 507
- Barda WLS lions (2025)
- 17 (first since 1879)
- Amreli district count
- 257 (highest)
- Habitats
- expanded from 3 to 11 districts
- Project Lion
- launched August 15, 2020
- Legal cover
- WPA Schedule-I, CITES Appendix-I, IUCN Endangered
16th Lion Population Estimation (May 2025) — the headline numbers
The 16th Lion Population Estimation, conducted by the Gujarat Forest Department in May 2025 across the Greater Gir Landscape (Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Gir-Somnath, Porbandar, Rajkot and adjoining districts), recorded 891 Asiatic lions — up 32% from 674 in 2020. Within this total: 196 adult males, 330 adult females (a 27% rise from 2020), 140 sub-adults, and 225 cubs (under 1 year). Geographically, 384 lions live inside protected areas — with Gir NP + Gir WLS + Pania WLS forming a 394-strong core (some counted in adjoining zones) — while 507 live in non-forested, dispersal-zone landscapes (up from 340 in 2020). Amreli district has the highest count (257), reflecting the lion's recolonisation of agricultural and coastal scrub habitats. The census used direct beat verification — area divided into zones/sub-zones with enumerators recording every sighting — a method considered more statistically robust than the pugmark-based approach historically used for tigers.
Project Lion (2020) and Barda as the second home
Project Lion was launched on August 15, 2020 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) on the lines of Project Tiger (1973) and Project Elephant (1992). Its four pillars are: (1) landscape-based conservation across Gir + dispersal zones; (2) habitat restoration including grasslands and water bodies; (3) building ecological resilience against disease outbreaks (a Canine Distemper Virus outbreak in the Dalkhania range in 2018 killed 23 lions and sharpened the case for a second home); and (4) reducing human–wildlife conflict via village-level mitigation. Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (192 sq km, near Porbandar) has been positioned as the second home. In May 2025 the census confirmed 17 lions at Barda — the first natural presence since 1879. A ₹180 crore Barda development push was announced on World Lion Day 2025. Mityala Wildlife Sanctuary also doubled to 32 lions.
Legal protection and global status
The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is one of the most strictly protected species in Indian law and global conservation regimes. Domestic: Schedule-I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — the highest protection category, providing the strongest punishments for hunting/poaching and the strictest restrictions on commerce. International trade: Appendix-I of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) — bans commercial international trade. Global assessment: IUCN Red List classifies the Asiatic subspecies as Endangered (the African Lion is classified Vulnerable). At the population level the Asiatic lion remains highly vulnerable because the entire wild population lives in one geographically continuous landscape — a fact that makes Barda's emergence as a second home a textbook 'meta-population insurance' policy.
IBCA Summit 2026 and India's big-cat diplomacy
The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) — founded by PM Modi in April 2023 at the 50th-anniversary celebration of Project Tiger at Mysuru — covers all seven big cat species: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah. India hosts the IBCA Secretariat (in Delhi). India will host the first-ever IBCA Summit on June 1–2, 2026 in New Delhi under PM Modi's chairmanship; theme: 'Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem'. The Lion Species Spotlight Programme at Gir is one of several pre-summit thematic events — others have included tiger and cheetah spotlights. The summit positions India as the global anchor for big-cat conservation diplomacy, alongside its Project Cheetah (2022, Kuno) reintroduction effort.
Distinct features of the Asiatic Lion vs African Lion
The Asiatic Lion is slightly smaller than its African cousin — males weigh 160–190 kg vs 180–250 kg for African males. Its most distinctive feature is the longitudinal fold of skin (belly fold) that runs along the underbelly — rare in African lions. The mane is shorter and moderate, leaving the ears visible — versus the dense, full mane of African males. Social structure: Asiatic lions live in smaller prides; adult males are less social and typically associate with females only for mating or large kills, while in Africa males stay with the pride year-round. Fur colour ranges from ruddy-tawny to sandy/buff-grey, often with a silvery sheen. As apex predators they regulate herbivore populations (chital, sambar, nilgai, wild boar) and thus maintain the structural health of the dry-deciduous and grassland ecosystems of Saurashtra.
Must Remember
- •Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the 'Lion' Species Spotlight Programme at Sasan Gir, Gujarat as a pre-IBCA Summit 2026 curtain-raiser event.
- •16th Lion Population Estimation (May 2025) recorded 891 Asiatic lions in Gujarat — up 32% from 674 in the 15th estimation (2020).
- •The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is the only wild population of lions outside Africa — confined to the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
- •Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat remains the only natural habitat of the Asiatic lion in the world.
- •Barda Wildlife Sanctuary (near Porbandar) has been developed as the lion's 'second home' — 17 lions were recorded there in 2025, the first natural presence since 1879.
- •Project Lion was launched on August 15, 2020 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, modelled on Project Tiger (1973) and Project Elephant (1992).
- •Legal protection: Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — Schedule-I (highest protection); CITES — Appendix-I; IUCN Red List — Endangered (the listing is Endangered, not Vulnerable, for the Asiatic subspecies).
- •India will host the first-ever International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit on June 1–2, 2026 in New Delhi under PM Modi's chairmanship; theme: 'Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem'.
- •Adult female count rose to 330 in 2025 — a 27% rise since 2020 — indicating sustained reproductive capacity and further growth potential.
- •Lion habitats have expanded from 3 to 11 districts of Gujarat in the past 25 years; Amreli district leads with 257 lions.
Static GK
- •Gir National Park: notified 1965 (sanctuary) and 1975 (national park); ~258 sq km core area in Junagadh district, Gujarat.
- •: Gir Wildlife Sanctuary surrounds the NP — total Gir Protected Area is ~1,412 sq km.
- •Project Tiger: launched April 1, 1973 from Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve under PM Indira Gandhi.
- •Project Elephant: launched 1992 to protect Asian elephants and their habitats.
- •Project Lion: launched August 15, 2020 by PM Modi (Independence Day speech).
- •Project Cheetah: launched September 17, 2022 — cheetahs reintroduced at Kuno NP, Madhya Pradesh from Namibia.
- •Wildlife (Protection) Act: enacted 1972; Schedule-I is the most strictly protected.
- •IUCN Red List status categories: Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Least Concern, Data Deficient, Not Evaluated.
- •International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA): announced by PM Modi in April 2023 at Mysuru on the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
- •World Lion Day: observed every August 10.
Glossary
- Asiatic Lion
- Panthera leo persica — a subspecies of lion, smaller than the African Lion, with a distinctive belly fold; the only wild population outside Africa is in the Gir landscape of Gujarat.
- Project Lion
- MoEFCC scheme launched August 15, 2020 on the lines of Project Tiger and Project Elephant — a landscape-based approach to Asiatic lion conservation across Gir and dispersal zones.
- Greater Gir Landscape
- The mosaic of protected areas (Gir NP, Gir WLS, Pania WLS, Mityala WLS, Girnar WLS) plus surrounding revenue-village dispersal zones in Saurashtra where the Asiatic lion now lives.
- Population Estimation
- A periodic census of the Asiatic lion population conducted by the Gujarat Forest Department, traditionally every 5 years; uses 'direct beat verification' with zones and sub-zones.
- IBCA (International Big Cat Alliance)
- Multilateral framework launched by PM Modi in April 2023 covering tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah; Secretariat in India; first Summit scheduled June 1–2, 2026 in New Delhi.
- Schedule-I (WPA 1972)
- The most strictly protected category under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — covers the Asiatic lion, tiger, snow leopard, one-horned rhino and several other apex species.
- CITES Appendix-I
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora — Appendix-I species cannot be commercially traded internationally; the Asiatic lion is listed.
- Canine Distemper Virus (CDV)
- A viral disease that crossed from domestic dogs/feral carnivores to lions in the Dalkhania range in 2018, killing 23 lions; the trigger event for the 'second home' policy.
Timeline
- 1879Last recorded natural presence of Asiatic lions at Barda Hills, Porbandar before the 2025 re-emergence.
- 1913Asiatic lion population reaches a low of about 20 individuals in Gir; Nawab of Junagadh begins protective measures.
- 1965Gir Sanctuary notified by Government of Gujarat.
- 1972Wildlife (Protection) Act enacted; Asiatic lion placed in Schedule-I.
- 1975Gir National Park notified — the core 258 sq km of the Gir landscape.
- 2013Supreme Court of India orders translocation of some Asiatic lions from Gir to Kuno NP (Madhya Pradesh) — compliance still pending.
- 2018Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) outbreak kills 23 lions in the Dalkhania range — sharpens the case for a 'second home'.
- 202015th Lion Population Estimation records 674 lions; Project Lion launched on August 15, 2020 by PM Modi.
- April 2023PM Modi launches the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) at Mysuru on the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
- May 202516th Lion Population Estimation records 891 lions — a 32% rise from 2020; Barda WLS records 17 lions, first since 1879.
- May 2026Union Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurates 'Lion' Species Spotlight Programme at Sasan Gir — pre-IBCA Summit event.
- June 1–2, 2026India to host the first-ever IBCA Summit in New Delhi under PM Modi's chairmanship.
- →674 → 891 = +32%: 2020 to 2025 jump in Asiatic lion count over five years.
- →Pride numbers 196-330-140-225: 196 adult males, 330 adult females, 140 sub-adults, 225 cubs = 891 total.
- →3 → 11 districts in 25 years: lion range expansion across Saurashtra.
- →1973 Tiger, 1992 Elephant, 2020 Lion, 2022 Cheetah: the four 'Project' big-cat schemes in order.
- →Barda 1879 → 2025: first natural lion presence at Barda after 146 years — the textbook 'second home' moment.
Exam Angles
674 → 891 = +32%: 2020 to 2025 jump in Asiatic lion count over five years.
The Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica) is a textbook 'single-state, single-landscape' conservation success. From ~20 individuals in 1913, the population has grown to 891 in 2025 — entirely through community-supported protection in the Gir landscape of Gujarat. Project Lion (2020) marks a strategic shift from species-only protection to landscape-based ecological resilience, with Barda Wildlife Sanctuary emerging as the long-planned 'second home'. The Lion Species Spotlight Programme of 2026 is set against the run-up to India's first IBCA Summit (June 1–2, 2026 in New Delhi), positioning India as the global anchor for big-cat conservation diplomacy. The structural risk — that the entire wild population still lives in one continuous habitat — remains, sharpened by the 2018 CDV outbreak and the unresolved 2013 Supreme Court order on inter-state translocation.
Mains Q · 250wIndia's Asiatic Lion recovery from ~20 individuals (1913) to 891 (2025) is celebrated as a conservation triumph, yet the entire wild population continues to live in one geographically continuous landscape. Critically examine the strategic role of Project Lion (2020), the Barda 'second home' policy, and the unresolved Supreme Court 2013 order on inter-state translocation in securing the long-term future of the species. (250 words / 15 marks)
Flashcard
Q · Union Minister Bhupender Yadav launched the 'Lion' Species Spotlight Programme at Sasan Gir as a pre-IBCA Summit 2026 event — celebrating the 16th Lion Estimation 2025 count of 891 Asiatic lions (+32%tap to reveal
Connections & Comparisons
- ↔Compare with Project Tiger (1973), Project Elephant (1992) and Project Cheetah (2022) — all 'Project' big-cat schemes share landscape-based logic.
- ↔Link to the 2018 Canine Distemper Virus outbreak in the Dalkhania range (23 lions killed) — the trigger for the Barda 'second home' policy.
- ↔Connect to the Supreme Court's 2013 lion-translocation order (Gir → Kuno) — pending compliance; same Kuno NP later used for Project Cheetah (2022).
- ↔Recall the 42nd Constitutional Amendment (1976) which moved 'Forests' and 'Protection of wild animals and birds' from State List to Concurrent List, enabling WPA 1972 to apply uniformly.
- ↔Link to IBCA Summit 2026 (New Delhi, June 1–2) — India's pitch as the global secretariat for seven-big-cat conservation diplomacy.
- ↔Compare with Indian One-Horned Rhino (Kaziranga, Schedule-I) — similar single-state recovery story.
- ↔Connect to World Lion Day (August 10) — celebrated annually with a ₹180 crore Barda development push announced in 2025.