PM Modi chairs 7th meeting of National Board for Wildlife at Gir; 16th Asiatic lion estimation announced
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife at Gir National Park, Gujarat, on World Wildlife Day, 3 March 2025, and announced the 16th Asiatic lion population estimation in 2025.
Summary
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the 7th meeting of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) at Gir National Park, Gujarat, on 3 March 2025. He laid the foundation stone of the National Referral Centre for Wildlife at Junagadh, a hub for wildlife health and disease management. Asiatic lion population estimation is done once every five years, the last in 2020; the PM announced the 16th cycle in 2025. Lion conservation in Barda Wildlife Sanctuary, where lions have dispersed naturally, will get prey augmentation. A Centre of Excellence for human-wildlife conflict will be set up at the Wildlife Institute of India campus at SACON, Coimbatore. Cheetah introduction will expand to Gandhisagar Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh) and Banni Grasslands (Gujarat). The PM also announced a scheme for tigers outside tiger reserves, a new Project on Gharials and a National Great Indian Bustard Conservation Action Plan, and asked for WII–BISAG-N and FSI–BISAG-N collaboration on conflict and forest fires.
Key facts
- Date and place
- 3 March 2025, Gir National Park, Gujarat
- Meeting
- 7th meeting of NBWL, chaired by the PM
- Foundation stone
- National Referral Centre for Wildlife, Junagadh
- Lion estimation
- 16th cycle in 2025; every five years; last in 2020
- Conflict centre
- Centre of Excellence at WII campus, SACON, Coimbatore
- Cheetah expansion
- Gandhisagar (MP), Banni Grasslands (Gujarat)
- New initiatives
- Project on Gharials; National GIB Conservation Action Plan; tigers outside reserves
Practice MCQs 5 questions
Where did PM Narendra Modi lay the foundation stone of the National Referral Centre for Wildlife on 3 March 2025?
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Correct answer: B — Junagadh
The National Referral Centre for Wildlife, a hub for wildlife health and disease management, will come up at Junagadh, Gujarat.
The Asiatic lion population estimation announced by the PM at Gir on 3 March 2025 is which cycle of the exercise?
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Correct answer: A — 16th
The PM announced the 16th cycle of Asiatic lion population estimation in 2025; the exercise is held every five years and was last done in 2020.
A Centre of Excellence to deal with human-wildlife conflict, announced at the 7th NBWL meeting, will be set up at which location?
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Correct answer: C — WII campus at SACON, Coimbatore
The centre will be at the Wildlife Institute of India campus at SACON (Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History), Coimbatore, and will help states equip Rapid Response Teams.
At the NBWL meeting in Gir, prey augmentation and habitat improvement were announced for lions that have naturally dispersed to which sanctuary?
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Correct answer: D — Barda Wildlife Sanctuary
Asiatic lions have made Barda Wildlife Sanctuary their home through natural dispersal, and the PM announced support for them there through prey augmentation and habitat improvement.
Consider the following statements about the National Board for Wildlife, whose 7th meeting was held at Gir on 3 March 2025: 1. It is chaired by the Prime Minister, with the Minister in charge of Forests and Wild Life as Vice-Chairperson. 2. Section 5A, providing for its constitution, was inserted in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 by the Amendment Act of 2002. 3. The Director of the Wildlife Institute of India is its Member-Secretary. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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Correct answer: A — 1 and 2 only
Statements 1 and 2 are correct. Section 5A of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, inserted by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2002, makes the PM the Chairperson and the Forests and Wild Life Minister the Vice-Chairperson. Statement 3 is wrong: the Director of Wild Life Preservation is the Member-Secretary; the WII Director is only a member.