Research overview: Asiatic lions, Maldhari herders, and coexistence in Gir

This overview surveys human-lion coexistence in India's Gir landscape, the last refuge of the Asiatic lion, where pastoralist Maldhari communities graze livestock within and around the protected forest. It examines patterns of livestock depredation, the compensation system, lion attacks on people as the population expands into agricultural and peri-urban areas of Saurashtra, and the notably high tolerance many residents express toward lions. The literature links tolerance to cultural and religious attitudes, economic benefits from lion tourism, and effective compensation. The survey treats Gir as a globally important example of dense human-lion coexistence and of conservation success generating new conflict at the range edge.