Gujarat has reorganised the Porbandar Forest Division to improve forest management and build Barda, in the Saurashtra region, into a second habitat for Asiatic lions beyond the Gir landscape. The step follows the natural return of lions to Barda after 143 years. Gujarat's 2026 lion census counted 891 Asiatic lions, compared with 674 in 2020. Gir remains the first and main natural home of the species. The Asiatic lion is listed as Endangered by the IUCN and occurs naturally only in Gujarat.