Why in news? Barda Wildlife Sanctuary(BWLS)  proposed as second home for Asiatic lions

Highlights:

• The Gujarat forest department presented its proposal to make BWLS the second home to the lions before the national steering committee meeting as part of “Project Lion @ 2047”.
• National steering committee on “Project Lion @2047, Amritkal” has identified Barda as a potential site to accommodate lions in the landscape of Barda-Alech hills and coastal forests.

About Barda Wildlife  Sanctuary

• Located in Gujarat with nearest city is Porbandar
• Climate : Tropical climate is characterized by very hot summers.
• Vegetation :Tropical forest with dry mixed deciduous forest and northern tropical thorn forest
• Rivers: Bileshvary River and Joghri River
• Sanctuary area supports ‘maldhari’ families

Flora and fauna:

• Euphorbia scrub, dry deciduous scrub, and dry bamboo brakes are found
• Blue bull, chinkara, blackbuck, and wolf are the main fauna population
• Once known to have had a population of Asiatic lions, they deserted the area towards the end of the nineteenth century.