Wilderness areas are fast disappearing throughout the world and more so in India with the ever increasing demand for land for agriculture, pasture, industry and mineral extraction. It would be a wise practice to allocate some proportional resources arising from the profits of diverting land for exploitation to conserving the biodiversity and other wilderness values of the region for future generations. Since the renewal of the lease is likely to be of substantial economic benefit for it would only be fair if part of these revenues were used to contribute to the conservation efforts of the region. The lion is the flagship of conservation efforts in this region of Saurashtra. The Gir Protected Area is home to the last free ranging population of Asiatic lions in the world. Recently with good management practices and protection, the lions have done well within the protected area and dispersed to establish populations to the east and south of the Gir P.A. thus defining the “Greater Gir Conservation Area”. These small lion populations have a major role to play in the conservation and long term survival of the lions in the region, since they are likely to play a significant role in the meta-population dynamics of the lion population. The Gujarat Forest Department has addressed the conservation concerns of these lion populations by offering protection to patches of reserve forests and grasslands and managing them to support lions, while simultaneously declaring new protected areas (Mitiyala & Paniya Sanctuaries). These efforts are commendable, yet a lot needs to be done to secure the future of these newly established populations and to provide movement corridors in a stepping stone model for facilitating dispersal of lions between the Gir P.A. and these populations to maintain genetic and demographic viability.

This is where the NCCL can provide resources as a mitigation/compensation scheme for the lease renewal. The NCCL has already taken steps in this direction and acquired some land in a major lion movement corridor Dedan (65.24 ha.) near Khadadhar forest and Khambha (77.53 ha.) near Mitiyala forest against the 177.25 ha of forest land within the lease area. The NCCL can help the Forest Department by acquiring land under private ownership within the boundaries of Mitiyala Sanctuary and/or purchase and manage parcels of land to serve as stepping stones for lion movements between the meta populations. The location, size, and investments in specific management prescriptions of these plot(s) should be decided in consultation with the Gujarat Forest Department. The Gujarat Forest Department may consider the economic benefits that NCCL is likely to incur from the renewal of lease for mineral extraction as a guideline while firming up the compensation scheme. The Wildlife Institute of India can also provide assistance in identifying areas where such “stepping stones” would be of conservation importance and on a strategy for their future management if so desired by NCCL and the Gujarat Forest Department.

By granting conditional lease renewal to NCCL for the proposed area that has low wildlife conservation value, and by taking up compensatory measures which NCCL has agreed to adopt, the conservation value of the region would benefit immensely.