Abstract
Besides the Kuno-Palpur Nature Reserve, six more sites have been designated within Project Lion, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2020. They are similar to Project Elephant and Project Elephant (Chellan, 2022). The initiative was created to protect the Asiatic Lion, which has its remaining natural population in Gujarat’s Asiatic Lion Landscape (ALL). The Wildlife Institute of India, in collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department, developed a Project Lion proposal that was submitted to the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Introduction
Once spread across southwest Asia, the Asiatic lion today is found only in India and only in the state of Gujarat, especially restricted in the Gir National Park. It is an endangered animal owing to its small population of only about 674 members in 2020 (Gogoi et al., 2020). Similar to the African lion, the Asiatic lion has a lifespan of 16 to 18 years, the Asiatic lion (Singh et al., 2022). The maturity age of the species is 4 years for females and 5 for males.
At sexual maturity, one female can mate with several males for about 8 days, and the gestation period lasts 100 to 119 days. One female can give birth to as many as six cubs. The cubs depend purely on the mother’s milk for the first three months, after which they start eating meat. In the first 9 months of their life, the cubs are taught the skill of hunting for survival.
Like the African lion, members of this species live together in a small family and social unit (pride) (Chakrabarti et al., 2020). However, unlike their African counterparts, the Asiatic lions establish a small pride of two females compared to about six in Africa. Males are solitary animals and only associate with mature females during the mating period or when hunting large prey.
Conservation is necessary to prevent the extinction of this cat species. Presently, the entire population of the 674 Asiatic lions is distributed in the Gir National Park, an area of roughly 30,000 square kilometers. The current conservation efforts have improved significantly, including using the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the national park to track cars entering the sanctuary as a precaution to prevent poaching. Nevertheless, human-wildlife conflict occurs, and the threat of poaching is still a problem (Paricha, 2022; Halder & Brahmbhatt, 2021). Consequently, this paper provides a detailed management plan for conserving the Asiatic lion in the reserve to increase the animal population and health further.
Recommendations
Naturally, it is quitedifficult and complicated to protect an endangered species like the Asiatic lion fully. Thus, the best solution to the issue of how biodiversity should be conserved must be founded on an interactive discussion between local communities and conservation agencies (Miller et al., 2020; Padrell et al., 2022). A comprehensive understanding of the aspirations and possible contributions of local populations like the Maldharis should be achieved.Forest authorities tend to cast their classifications and goals onto local inhabitants, showing the best way ahead, such as relocation. It demonstrates how, in the instance of the Maldharis, the sociocultural system is characterized by a notion of nature in which people are included.
One key lesson from the Maldhari people in Gir is the importance of values and beliefs in embedding the ethics of animal conservation. Authorities must employ emotionally resonant cultural symbols, like the lion while implementing a moral code. Previous research demonstrates that incorporating beliefs and values within biodiversity conservation initiatives is more likely to yield results than scientific and ecological reasoning. The Maldharis’ responses demonstrate the presence of reciprocal relationships that link people and lions. It is critical to emphasize that methods of biodiversity conservation rooted in cultural values are typically far more viable than those based on law.
Management Objectives
Improving the conservation of the species in the park can be achieved by focusing on three major objectives/targets:
- Metrics
- Habitat improvement
- Female-male ratio
Certain metrics need to be measured and improved. First, it is suggested here that the species’ population must respond to the current size of the conservancy in the state (Sohel Khan et al., 2022). The rationale is to ensure that it corresponds to the available natural resources, such as the population of prey that can support the lions. Currently, the conservancy inside the park itself is about 30,000 square kilometers, supporting a population of only 674 lions.
There is also a large population of prey. Current estimations show that the population of such prey as chinkara wild boar, sambar, wild boars, blackbucks, chital, and other larger herbivores is quite high and can support a larger lion population. The goal is to achieve a lion population of at least 2,000 individuals, ensuring each lion has a minimum lifespan of 15 years and that females maintain a reproductive rate of 8 cubs annually.
The minimum targeted male-female ratio is 1:4, and the maximum should be 1:6. This is achievable because one male can serve multiple females within one family. A family consists of between 4 to 6 females, but males are not counted as part of the family unless when mating or hunting for large prey.
Habitat improvement efforts should be a priority for the long-term sustenance of the lion population. The target is to improve the general population of the large prey to provide the necessary food supply for the lion. In this case, the plan should include the conservation and improvement of large herbivores by increasing forage cover.To combat the decline of the herbivores, it is suggested that an additional 5 million trees be planted and water reservoirs be constructed inside the conservancy to fight desertification. Trees will help support foliage cover, supporting the herbivore population.
Monitoring Techniques
Achieving the objectives and targets will require the state department and the Gir NP management to consider employing effective techniques necessary for monitoring the lion population in the conservancy. GPS tracking and vehicle/surveillance tracking have already been employed, but these techniques need further improvement to cover a wider area. The rationale is to monitor any vehicle entering and leaving the conservancy to fight poachers. It is also suggested that the use of GPS-enabled tags on male lions and female heads of packs of pride ensures real-life monitoring of the lions wherever they are (Meena et al., 2020). This has been applied elsewhere, including in Kruger National Park and Kenya, where elephants and rhinos are monitored similarly.
Secondly, it is suggested that the park employ night heat sensing capability and trail cameras. These techniques will help detect the location of the animals and count the number of members, especially in their dens at night. This is all to get population numbers for the Asiatic lions. Third, it is suggested that the park use sampling techniques, including capture-recapture methods and visual identification of vibrissae patterns for the rangers on foot in the vehicle. Moreover, the park should employ aerial surveillance and use drones to count lions (Pollastr et al., 2021).
As mentioned before, the goal is to achieve a minimum of 2,000 lions, with each individual surviving for at least 15 years and producing 8 cubs year for each female. The park needs to collect certain information to achieve this objective, including the number of males and females and their ratios, birth rate, death rate, survival rate in years per animal, and survival rate for newborn cubs (Chakrabarti & Jhala, 2019). Data collection should be based on weekly surveys using the techniques of drones, heat sensing systems, and GPS to count the animal numbers. Data analysis should be done every quarter and include qualitative (descriptions of animals, behavior, survival, nature, and ecology) and quantitative (statistics on various metrics).
Management Strategies
The overlapping arrows represent the three goals of Gir wildlife conservation: the preservation of critical ecological and life-support mechanisms, the retention of genetic variability, and the sustainable use of species and habitats. Others are environmental awareness training for employees and implementing disaster contingency and hazard prevention strategies to anticipate and avoid safety issues (Mekonen, 2020). Wildlife conservation guarantees that generations in the future can appreciate the natural environment and the magnificent animals that inhabit it (Mahmood et al., 2020). It is critical to understand how organisms interact in their habitats and how human and environmental impacts influence them to help safeguard wildlife.
In addition, management strategies should focus on methods that will increase reproduction rates in lions. Three important strategies can help achieve this objective- monitoring and improving animal health (especially for females), sustaining high cub numbers per pregnancy, and sustaining a long fertility period per female (Mondol et al., 2020). Studies indicate these objectives are possible (Raquel, Fernandes & Pinto, 2018).
First, the reproduction of mammals, including big cats, depends on the health of the females during their adult life. Healthy cats are likely to produce the maximum number of cubs per birth (Butterworth, 2018). Also, for healthy animals, the mating period lasts longer, and an individual rarely fails to conceive after a successful week of mating (Torgerson-White & Sánchez-Suárez, 2022). Consequently, it is suggested that the State Department of Wildlife and the park consider increasing the number of wildlife veterinary experts and establishing a vet clinic within the conservancy (Butterworth, 2018).
Secondly, the health of animals also depends on diet and food availability (Karawita et al., 2020). By increasing the prey population, as previously suggested, it is possible to achieve full animal health and fertility in females, which will increase reproduction.
Conclusion
By exploring the species’ conservation issues, this study highlights the ecological and social background of the Asiatic lion’s habitat. As demonstrated, this species is highly threatened due to habitat loss and degradation, two reasons that are also frequently recognized in the scientific literature as significant promoters of species extinction. Given Gir’s unusual location, a broad range of valuation approaches, and the potential of data collection, the present experiment will investigate numerous benefits and costs (Deshpande, 2022). The conflict between animals and humans within Gir National Park has resulted in a policy strategy that attempts to shift these people outside, as indicated in the Gir Sanctuary-specific plan developed in the early 1970s (Kansky &Maassarani, 2022). Knowing the ecological implications of these processes necessitates natural science research, but understanding the possibilities for conservation campaigns necessitates social science research.
Annotated Bibliography
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Asiatic lions are a symbol of conservation achievement, yet their classification is determined by total counts, which do not account for detecting bias or double counting. We estimated the lion population using a spatially captured recapture methodology based on a polygon search in 725 sq.kms of western Gir Nature Preserve, India.
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