IUCN Green Status assessment: Lion population declining in Africa and India

For centuries, this iconic big cat has captivated human imagination, reigning as the "king of the jungle" in folklore and ecosystems alike. Yet, beneath this majestic facade lies a troubling reality. On March 27, 2025, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) delivered a stark wake-up call with its first-ever Green Status assessment of the lion. The verdict? The species is "Largely Depleted"—a classification that paints a grim picture of its ecological health and signals an urgent need for action.

The IUCN’s inaugural Green Status assessment for the lion, released on March 27, 2025, labels the species as "Largely Depleted," a step below "Moderately Depleted" and a far cry from "Fully Recovered." This designation comes alongside its ongoing "Vulnerable" status on the IUCN Red List. The Green Status, unlike the Red List’s focus on extinction risk, evaluates how well a species fulfills its ecological role across its historical range.

As per reports, human activities are the primary culprits behind the lion’s plight. Habitat loss, expanding settlements, and other pressures have fragmented and shrunk the lion’s domain, leading to significant population declines across vast regions. This loss isn’t just a numbers game—it’s a blow to the intricate web of life that depends on this apex predator.

Amid the gloom, there’s a glimmer of hope. Conservation efforts have staved off likely extinctions in key regions, including West and Southern Central Africa, South Africa, and India. These successes showcase the power of targeted interventions—protected areas, anti-poaching measures, and community engagement have kept lion populations clinging to survival.

The IUCN’s Green Status is a pioneering tool designed to tell a species’ "full conservation story." Unlike the Red List’s snapshot of extinction risk, it tracks recovery across nine categories—from "Fully Recovered" to "Extinct in the Wild." With over 100 species now assessed, including the lion, it complements traditional metrics by measuring conservation success and ecological functionality.

The 2023 African Lion Database estimates roughly 23,000 adult and subadult lions across Africa, while India’s Gujarat Forest Department tallied approximately 670 in 2020. These figures, cited in the 2023 IUCN Red List update, reflect a species hanging on by a thread. Africa’s lions, spread across fragmented habitats, face ongoing threats, while India’s smaller population is confined to the Gir Forest.