Ahmedabad: Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Gujarat Forest Department have identified a 150-km lion movement corridor from Shetrunji through Hingolgadh to Rampara after an Asiatic lion’s solo dispersal from Hingolgadh in Rajkot district to Rampara in Surendranagar brought attention to the landscape’s connectivity and potential as an expansion route beyond Gir.The corridor’s importance dates to Nov 2019, when an isolated lion was tracked after moving nearly 100 km outside its traditional Gir range towards Rampara. Though it did not establish a permanent territory, officials said the movement indicated lions could traverse the region in search of new territory, prey and suitable habitat.The Shetrunji-Hingolgadh and Hingolgadh-Rampara segments have now been listed among Gujarat’s 11 major lion movement corridors. In a recent Rajya Sabha reply to MP Parimal Nathwani, Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change said WII studies had identified 11 major lion movement corridors in the state, with the two stretches together forming a wider potential movement route linking habitats outside Gir.“Nearly seven years after the sighting, the department has identified the Shetrunji-Hingolgadh-Rampara corridor. Department and WII studies indicate that as the Asiatic lion population increases in both numbers and geographical distribution, this corridor could emerge as an important area for the species’ future expansion,” officials said.Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Jaipal Singh said the 2019 sighting had underlined the landscape’s role as lions appear in newer pockets. “Lions are being sighted in Jasdan and Rajkot, and therefore this is developing as a natural corridor. Not only is the prey base being monitored, but virdis are also being developed as habitat along the route. No obstruction will be permitted along this natural corridor,” he said.Officials said the Rampara Virdi-Chotila landscape includes grassland patches and prey such as nilgai and wild boar, and that open terrain and semi-natural habitat linkages could support dispersing lions, particularly sub-adult males.Union govt has said Asiatic lions use natural and semi-natural habitats as movement corridors during dispersal, and that connected habitats have already facilitated lion movement and establishment beyond Gir in Mitiyala, Paniya, Girnar and more recently Barda.Forest officials said the corridor’s relevance is growing as lions expand across Saurashtra, with govt estimating lion “footfall” could extend to nearly 50,000 sq km by 2047, up from around 35,000 sq km at present.
