Vet institute, ambulances mooted in ₹98 crore lion conservation plan

Vet institute, ambulances mooted in ₹98 crore lion conservation plan

1. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the ‘Asiatic Lion Conservation Project’ which aims to protect and conserve the world’s last ranging free population of Asiatic Lion, a species endemic to the Gir landscape of Gujarat.
2. The conservation project which has a “Species Conservation over a large landscape” focuses on a) disease management, b) habitat improvement and eco-development, c) robust wildlife health service with a dedicated veterinary institute, d) addressing to man-wild animal conflict issues, e) voluntary relocation of Protect Area inhabitants (Maldhari tribe), f) monitoring and tracking of animals, g) creating a wildlife crime cell, and h) ecotourism.
3. The project also seeks to divide The Greater Gir Region that includes, area other than the existing Gir National Park, sanctuaries in Girnar, Pania and Mitiyala, into various zones and formulate various “zone plans and theme plans” for their management.
4. Asiatic Lion, a pantherine cat, is listed as ‘Endangered’ under the IUCN Red List and is exposed to severe threats in the Gir region like a) growing lion population and shrinking habitat, b) vulnerability to diseases, c) death from linear infrastructure such as road, rail and electric fences and d) man-animal conflict.
5. In 2013, the Supreme Court had directed translocation of lions from Gujarat to Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh on the grounds that concentration in one area makes them vulnerable to extinction from unpredictable events like epidemic or natural calamity.