International Big Cat Alliance

The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change inaugurates the Lion Species Spotlight Event at Sasan Gir, Gujarat. The event is currently relevant as a precursor to the International Big Cat Alliance Summit.

Asiatic Lion Conservation:

Dimension	Key Details
Event	The Lion Species Spotlight Event has been inaugurated at Sasan Gir, Gujarat.
Precursor	The event is a precursor to the International Big Cat Alliance Summit.
IBCA Launch	The International Big Cat Alliance has been launched by India on April 9, 2023, and has entered into force as an international organisation in early 2025.
IBCA Headquarters	The headquarters of IBCA is in India.
IBCA Tagline	The tagline of IBCA is Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem.
Target Species	IBCA provides for protection of 7 big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma.
Event Focus	The event highlights global big cat conservation status and India’s landscape-based conservation models.
New Habitat	Barda Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat is being developed as a natural dispersal site for Asiatic lions.
Wildlife Healthcare	The National Wildlife Referral Centre in Junagadh, Gujarat, provides for big cat disease diagnostics and healthcare management.
Population	According to the 16th Lion Population Estimation, 2025, Asiatic lion population in the Greater Gir Landscape has reached 891 individuals.
Population Growth	The Asiatic lion population has increased by 32% compared to 2020.
Distribution Expansion	The geographic distribution range of Asiatic lions has expanded by nearly 60% across Saurashtra in the last decade.
Highest Concentration	Amreli district has the highest concentration of lions in the landscape.
Legal Protection	The Asiatic lion is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and CITES Appendix I.
IUCN Status	The Asiatic lion is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Project Lion	Project Lion has been launched in 2020 on India’s 74th Independence Day.
Project Lion Approach	Project Lion adopts a long-term landscape-based approach for Asiatic lion conservation.
Project Lion Components	Project Lion provides for habitat restoration, human-wildlife interaction management, ecological resilience, and community-based eco-development models.