[5] In the 19th century, the rulers of Indian princely states used to invite the British colonists for hunting expeditions.

At the end of the 19th century, only about a dozen Asiatic lions were left in India, all of them in the Gir Forest, which was part of the Nawab of Junagarh's private hunting grounds.

British viceroys brought the drastic decline of the lion population in Gir to the attention of the Nawab of Junagadh, who established the sanctuary.

The Gir ecosystem with its diverse flora and fauna is protected as a result of the efforts of the government forest department, wildlife activists and NGOs.

Ensuring the availability of water during peak summer is one of the major tasks of the Forest Department staff.

[citation needed] More than 400 plant species were recorded in the survey of Gir forest by Samtapau & Raizada in 1955.

Also found here are ber, jamun (Syzygium cumini), babul (acacia), flame of the forest, zizyphus, tendu and dhak.

Also plants like karanj, umlo, amli, sirus, kalam, charal and an occasional Vad (banyan tree) are found.

The forest is an important biological research area with considerable scientific, educational, aesthetic and recreational values.

[1] The carnivores group mainly comprises the Asiatic lion, Indian leopard, jungle cat, striped hyena, golden jackal, Bengal fox,[7] Indian gray mongoose, ruddy mongoose, and honey badger.

[1][6] The main herbivores of Gir are chital, nilgai, sambar, four-horned antelope, chinkara and wild boar.

[6] The reptiles are represented by the mugger crocodile,[8] Indian cobra, tortoise and monitor lizard which inhabit the sanctuary's bodies of water.

The first modern-day count of lions was done by Mark Alexander Wynter-Blyth, the principal of Rajkumar College, Rajkot and R.S.

[13] One such centre has been established in the Sakkarbaug Zoo at the district headquarters of Junagadh, which has successfully bred about 180 lions.

However, during the census of April 2005 (which originally was scheduled for 2006, but was advanced following the reports and controversy over vanishing tigers in India), "Block-Direct-Total Count" method was employed with the help of around 1,000 forest officials, experts and volunteers.

[16] Anthropogenic threats include over-grazing,[17] encroachment, excessive traffic and resultant weed infestation.