Dispersion of the Asiatic Lion &lt;i&gt;Panthera leo persica&lt;/i&gt; and its Survival in Human-Dominated Landscape Outside the Gir Forest, Gujarat, India

Singh, Harsh

doi:10.18520/cs/v112/i05/933-940

Cited by 17 publications

(24 citation statements)

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“…Ensuing protection and habitat management by the Gujarat Forest Department resulted in the lion population increasing steadily (Singh and Kamboj, 1996) to over 500 in the last 2015 total count (Gujarat Forest Department, 2015). The sub-species was also down-listed from the "Critically Endangered" category of the IUCN Red list in 1990s (Nowell and Jackson, 1996) to "Endangered" in 2008 (Breitenmoser et al, 2008).Within the past two decades, lions have dispersed into about 13,000 km 2 of agropastoral landscape comprising of the Gir Protected Area (Gir PA; 1700 km 2 ), Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary (180 km 2 ) and over 11,000 km 2 of human-dominated landscape and coastal scrublands of the surrounding districts of Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath, and Bhavnagar (Ranjitsinh, 2016;Singh, 2017a). Currently, the Saurashtra landscape has a single source population of lions comprised of ∼300 adult individuals that live within the Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, and several patchily distributed small sink populations (Pulliam, 1988) of <50 individuals each in the human dominated agro-pastoral system (Figure 2).…”

Section: Distribution and Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to garner public support for lion conservation, an "eco-development" scheme was initiated in Gir along with six other PAs in India under the India Eco-development Project funded by World Bank's Global Environment Facility. A total of 193 villages have so far been covered in the landscape under this scheme (Singh, 2017a). Under this scheme, repair of village roads, support for self-employment, construction of structures for harvesting water and preventing soil erosion, facilities for education, drinking water, sanitation and improvement of houses are provided and linked to wildlife conservation.…”

Section: Management Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Concurrent with a 19.2% rate of human population growth (Human Census Report, Government of India available at www.census2011.co.in) in Gujarat, lions outside PAs (National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries) have grown by 126% in the last two decades. Consequently, ∼30% of the present lion population resides outside the PAs in close proximity to humans (Gujarat Forest Department, 2015;Singh, 2017a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Asiatic Lion: Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Conservation

et al. 2019

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Asiatic lions typify most challenges faced by large carnivores: single population, historical bottlenecks, habitat loss, poaching, and conflict with humans. Their recovery from <50 in a few hundred km 2 to >500 occupying 13,000 km 2 of agro-pastoral Saurashtra landscape, Gujarat, India is an enigma. We review and evaluate the multidisciplinary aspects of lion conservation-strategy that covers ecology, conflict, community perceptions, economics, management, and politics. The history of modern lions in India dates back to ∼4-6,000 BP, but evidence suggests presence as early as 10-15,000 BP. Asiatic lions can be distinguished from African lions by their belly-folds; adult males and females weighing 160 (SE 4.7) and 116 (SE 3.7) kg, respectively. Lion density ranged from 2 to 15/100 km 2 in the Saurashtra landscape. Demographic parameters of Asiatic lions were comparable to African lions. Prides were related females and cubs; males lived separately in hierarchical coalitions having overlapping ranges with multiple prides. Lionesses mated with multiple coalitions to reduce infanticide and enhance genetic diversity of their progeny. Few hectares of scrub sufficed as daytime refuges, while >4 km 2 patches were required for breeding. Sink populations outside Gir Protected Area (PA) were maintained by immigrants. Lions within PA fed primarily on wild-prey, while scavenging and predation on livestock was the mainstay outside. Monetary compensation for livestock-depredation, legal-protection, lion-related profits, combined with religious and cultural sentiments were major drivers of population recovery. The lion has become a socio-political instrument in Gujarat, which despite a Supreme Court directive, has not parted with founders to establish another population. Threats from epidemics loom large and currently a canine distemper virus outbreak is prevalent. Attacks on humans were rare, however, with increasing lion density the intensity of conflict is increasing. This, coupled with lowered tolerance of communities due to erosion of traditional values sets the stage for retaliation. Future of lions outside PA is uncertain as breeding refuges and their connecting corridors are vanishing rapidly. A human-free National Park of ∼1,000 km 2 is essential for ensuring a viable population that retains its ecological role and evolutionary potential. Legalizing lion based ecotourism by forming village consortia holds promise to prevent land conversion and promoting lion-human coexistence.

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Section: Distribution and Statusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Management Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Asiatic Lion: Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Conservation

et al. 2019

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“…The persistence of the Asiatic lion and its sympatry with the leopard Panthera pardus provides a contrast for examining the role of human tolerance for carnivore conservation approaches. The lion population is currently estimated to be > 500, having grown by 60% during 2005–2015 (Singh, 2017). However, the lions dispersing from the protected area have been associated with attacks on both livestock and people (Meena et al, 2014), raising concerns for both human well-being and lion survival in the face of reprisals and accident-related mortality (Meena, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of human attitudes and factors conducive to promoting human–lion coexistence in the Greater Gir landscape, India

Meena

Johnson

Zimmermann

et al. 2020

Oryx

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Coexistence of people and large carnivores depends on a complex combination of factors that vary geographically. Both the number and range of the Asiatic lion Panthera leo leo in the Greater Gir landscape, India, has increased since the 1990s. The challenge has been managing the success of conservation, with a particular focus on the spillover population ranging extensively in human-dominated landscapes. To understand the factors conducive to lion survival in this landscape, we undertook an interview-based survey. Overall, people expressed positive, tolerant attitudes towards lions. There was a distinct contrast between people's liking for lions (76.9% of respondents) compared to leopards (27.7%) in spite of greater depredation of livestock by lions (82.6%) than by leopards (17.4%). Younger people and respondents having greater awareness regarding lions expressed positive attitudes. Although community discussions on lions had a positive effect, there was no evidence that land-holding, management interventions, personal encounters with lions, or association of lions with religion affected attitudes. Respondents who had experienced livestock depredation tended to express negative attitudes. Respondents with positive attitudes towards lions favoured non-interventionist strategies for managing lions in the village areas. We advocate consideration of varied factors influencing tolerance of wildlife in conservation planning. We emphasize that site-specific human–wildlife conflict issues such as crop-foraging by wild ungulates and variation in attitudes towards different species should also be considered. Specifically, improved livestock management, motivation of local youth and their participation in awareness campaigns could all further strengthen the prevalent positive attitudes towards lions.

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“…The recovery of the last Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) in the Gir Forests of Gujarat, India from less than fifty individuals [11] to the current population claims of over 500 [12,13] is a modern conservation success story [14,15]. The lion population has in recent times extended its range from the Gir Protected Area (PA) [about 1,883km 2 ] to cover between 7000 to 13,000 km 2 of human dominated agro-pastoral landscape of Saurashtra [12,13]. However, the traditional total count method is used to estimate their abundance and status every five years by the Gujarat State Forest Department [16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatially explicit density and its determinants for Asiatic lions in the Gir forests

et al. 2020

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Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) are an icon of conservation success, yet their status is inferred from total counts that cannot account for detection bias and double counts. With an effort of 4,797 km in 725 km 2 of western Gir Protected Area, India, we used polygon search based spatially explicit capture recapture framework to estimate lion density. Using vibrissae patterns and permanent body marks we identified 67 lions from 368 lion sightings. We conducted distance sampling on 35 transects with an effort of 101.5 km to estimate spatial prey density using generalized additive modeling (GAM). Subsequently, we modeled lion spatial density with prey, habitat characteristics, anthropogenic factors and distance to baiting sites. Lion density (>1-year-old lions) was estimated at 8.53 (SE 1.05) /100 km 2 with lionesses having smaller movement parameter (σ = 2.55 km; SE 0.12) compared to males (σ = 5.32 km; SE 0.33). Detection corrected sex ratio (female:male lions) was 1.14 (SE 0.02). Chital (Axis axis) was the most abundant ungulate with a density of 63.29 (SE 10.14) as determined by conventional distance sampling (CDS) and 58.17 (SE 22.17)/km 2 with density surface modeling (DSM), followed by sambar (Rusa unicolor) at 3.84 (SE 1.07) and 4.73 (SE 1.48)/km 2 estimated by CDS and DSM respectively. Spatial lion density was best explained by proximity to baiting sites and flat valley habitat but not as much by prey density. We demonstrate a scientifically robust approach to estimate lion abundance, that due to its spatial context, can be useful for management of habitat and human-lion interface. We recommend this method for lion population assessment across their range. High lion densities in western Gir were correlated with baiting. The management practice of attracting lions for tourism can perturb natural lion densities, disrupt behavior, lion social dynamics and have detrimental effects on local prey densities.

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Dispersion of the Asiatic Lion <i>Panthera leo persica</i> and its Survival in Human-Dominated Landscape Outside the Gir Forest, Gujarat, India

Abstract: Expansion and consolidation of Gir Protected Area, Gujarat, India -habitat

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Asiatic Lion: Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Conservation

Asiatic Lion: Ecology, Economics, and Politics of Conservation

Evaluation of human attitudes and factors conducive to promoting human–lion coexistence in the Greater Gir landscape, India

Spatially explicit density and its determinants for Asiatic lions in the Gir forests

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