Context

The 16th Asiatic Lion Population Estimation, 2025, conducted by the Gujarat Forest Department across the Greater Gir landscape, has highlighted a remarkable recovery of India’s Asiatic lion population. The estimated population has increased to 891 lions in 2025, compared with 674 in 2020 and 523 in 2015. This represents a 32.2% rise in five years and a 70.36% increase over the decade. The findings underline the effectiveness of sustained habitat protection, population monitoring and conservation interventions in Gujarat.

Major Findings

• The most important finding is the increase in the total population from 674 to 891 between 2020 and 2025. The demographic composition includes 196 adult males, 330 adult females, 140 sub-adults and 225 cubs.
• The rise in adult females from 260 in 2020 to 330 in 2025 is particularly encouraging because a healthy breeding population is crucial for long-term demographic stability.
• One of the most significant developments is the emergence of satellite populations. The 2025 estimation recorded substantial numbers outside the core Gir landscape.
• A total of 497 lions were recorded in satellite areas, demonstrating the increasing ecological importance of landscapes beyond the traditional protected areas. Lions were also documented using wildlife corridors, indicating active dispersal across the Saurashtra landscape.

Barda Wildlife Sanctuary: A Conservation Milestone

• The Barda Wildlife Sanctuary represents an important example of successful range expansion. The 2025 estimation recorded lions in Barda, marking the re-establishment of a resident population after a very long absence. Research associated with the estimation notes that lions recolonised Barda in 2023, with the 2025 estimation documenting the population there.
• Similarly, Mitiyala Wildlife Sanctuary recorded particularly strong growth, while new or emerging lion groups have been observed around Jetpur and Babra-Jasdan.

Regional Trends

• Amreli district recorded the highest number of lions, with 257 individuals, according to the material provided. At the same time, not every landscape recorded growth. Some areas, including Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary and the Bhavnagar coast, experienced marginal declines. This demonstrates that conservation success needs to be assessed at the landscape level rather than merely through the overall population figure.

Census Methodology

• The estimation was conducted from 10–13 May 2025 across approximately 35,000 sq km, covering 11 districts and 58 talukas. The principal field methodology was Direct Beat Verification, supported by modern technological tools.
• The exercise involved thousands of personnel, while high-resolution cameras, camera traps, GPS-based observations, GIS mapping and the e-GujForest application helped improve data collection and verification.
• The research publication associated with the estimation reports the deployment of 3,254 trained personnel and the use of individual identification and duplication-control techniques.

Conservation Significance

• The population increase demonstrates the benefits of long-term conservation measures, but it also creates new challenges. As lion numbers and their geographical range expand, human–lion conflict, disease, road and railway mortality, habitat fragmentation and genetic vulnerability require continued attention.
• The expansion of satellite populations and wildlife corridors is therefore crucial. A larger and more distributed population can reduce excessive concentration in one landscape, but only if these habitats remain secure and connected.

Way Forward

• India needs to consolidate the gains achieved through Project Lion, improve habitat connectivity, strengthen wildlife corridors, maintain disease surveillance and develop effective mechanisms for human–wildlife conflict mitigation. The creation and strengthening of alternative habitats such as Barda can provide greater ecological security.
• The 16th estimation is therefore more than a population count. It represents evidence of a major conservation recovery while simultaneously highlighting the need to transition from population protection to landscape-level conservation.
• The long-term objective should be to ensure that increasing lion numbers are matched by adequate habitat, prey availability, genetic diversity, community participation and scientifically managed human–wildlife coexistence.

About Asiatic Lion

Major Lion Conservation Initiatives