Gujarat leads global lion conservation: Yadav

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Thursday that the most effective way to maintain coexistence with nature is to ensure conservation and preservation of apex predators.

Stressing that nature protects those who protect it, he also said the 2025 lion census has established Gujarat as holding a position of global leadership in lion conservation. The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister was addressing a gathering at the pre-event on lion conservation in Sasan Gir lion sanctuary in Junagadh district, organised as a prelude to the IBCA Summit-2026 to be organised in New Delhi.

“Nations across the globe must come together in addressing the contemporary need for social and environment-based awareness — specifically regarding international cooperation, public awareness, knowledge-sharing, capacity building, and best conservation practices,” he said.

In the future, the IBCA will prove to be a pivotal milestone in strengthening global capabilities and advancing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, he said.

“The most effective way to maintain coexistence with nature is to ensure the conservation and preservation of apex predators,” Yadav said.

“We aim to establish a model of nature conservation where both ecology and economy can thrive in tandem. Today, the greatest threat posed by climate change globally is the disruption of our ecological balance with nature,” he said.

Nature protects those who protect nature. To foster this coexistence with nature, PM Modi has introduced a major climate action initiative in the form of the IBCA. Over the past decade, the PM has championed numerous climate action programmes on the global stage, he said.

Yadav said that Gujarat is already home to lions, leopards, and now, tigers have also made their presence felt. Initiatives are also being taken for the conservation of critically-endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), he added. “While the rest of the world has witnessed a 30 per cent decline in lions’ population, Gujarat has recorded a 30 per cent increase,” he said.

The minister described Sasan Gir as a living symbol of India’s rich biodiversity, sensitivity towards nature and commitment to conservation. Yadav also said the construction work for the National Referral Centre for Wildlife, the Centre’s highly ambitious initiative, has already commenced in Junagadh and is currently in progress. The facility in Gujarat will emerge as one of the world’s premier centres for wildlife, he added.

He noted that effective conservation and management efforts have helped stabilise and expand lion sub-populations across several regions of the Gir landscape.

Addressing the event virtually, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the Centre’s Rs 2,000 crore Project Lion will be beneficial not only for lion conservation but also for the economic and social uplift of local communities as part of the holistic development of “Greater Gir”.

“Steps taken by Modi during his tenure as the then chief minister of Gujarat for Gir sanctuary and lion conservation have accelerated big cat conservation efforts across the country,” Patel said. He added that the PM’s approach of environmental conservation by connecting ecology with emotion while boosting the local economy has been successfully realised in Gujarat.

As a result of prioritising lion conservation and the forest department’s best proactive practices, the lion population, which stood at 284 in 1991, has now increased to around 891, according to Yadav.

Lions have naturally migrated to the Barda region of Porbandar, and through government efforts, Barda Sanctuary has emerged as a new habitat for Asiatic lions. Around 24 lions currently reside in Barda, he said.

India will host the first-ever IBCA Summit 2026 in New Delhi on June 1 and 2, 2026, under the chairmanship of PM Modi.