The Centre has declared 1.84 lakh hectares surrounding the Gir Protected Area- the natural abode of Asiatic Lions- as an Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) through a draft notification, the Gujarat government said on Wednesday.

This initiative will balance the conservation of the Asiatic lions' habitat with sustainable development in the region, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) stated.

Currently, the area falling within 10 km of the outer boundary of the Gir Protected Area is considered ESZ as per the Supreme Court's order and Central guidelines, Gujarat Forest and Environment Minister Mulubhai Bera stated in a release.

As per the draft notification issued by the Union government at the request of the government, the minimum distance from the boundary of the sanctuary has been set at 2.78 km while the maximum distance is 9.5 km.

"This reduction in the limits of the Eco-Sensitive Zone will boost development in the region," the minister stated.

A total of 17 river corridors and 4 important lion movement corridors will be covered in the new ESZ area, as per the draft notification.

A new Eco-Sensitive Zone has been declared after taking into account the data, collected by the forest department over 10 years about the movement of lions tracked through radio collars, important corridors used by them and areas used for hunting, the release stated.

The 1.84 lakh hectares include 24,680 hectares of forest land and 1,59,785 hectares of non-forest land.

Altogether, forest and non-forest areas falling under 196 villages of Junagadh, Amreli and Gir Somnath districts around the Gir Protected Area have been included in the new ESZ, as per the release.

Bera said adding these areas in the ESZ will boost lion conservation efforts.

Notably, 1,468 square km of forest land in Gir National Park and adjoining Gir, Pania and Mitiala sanctuaries have already been reserved for lions and other wildlife. Now the area surrounding that protected region will be considered ESZ, he added.

"The Govt of India issues draft notification for the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Gir Protected Areas. This initiative aims to balance the conservation of the Asiatic lion's habitat with sustainable development in the region," the CMO stated on X.

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