Producing the Gir Lionscape: Redesigning Boundaries, Settlement Edges, and Tourist Encounters witin Manufactured Wilderness

This thesis reconsiders the Gir Landscape of Gujarat, India, by shifting attention from the Asiatic lion as a protected species to the broader socio-ecological systems through which it is produced, governed, and experienced. Rather than viewing conservation as the protection of a fixed habitat, the project examines how ecological processes, pastoral livelihoods, tourism, and political governance collectively shape the landscape beyond the boundaries of Gir National Park.

The research traces the historical contraction of the Asiatic lion’s range and identifies four interconnected systems that organise the contemporary landscape: the expansion of lion territories beyond protected areas, tourism centred on wildlife viewing, compensation mechanisms responding to livestock predation, and governance structures that negotiate competing ecological and political interests. Together, these systems reveal a landscape where conservation is continuously shaped by movement, conflict, and human intervention.

In response, the project proposes a series of spatial strategies that reorganise relationships between wildlife, people, and governance. Ecological corridors and adaptive boundaries accommodate the lion’s expanding range, while settlement-scale fodder support systems reduce livestock movement into high-risk grazing areas and strengthen local pastoral livelihoods. Tourism is restructured through dispersed observation hides and river-based wildlife viewing, shifting encounters from vehicle-based spectacle to slower, habitat-oriented experiences that reduce pressure on protected areas while maintaining opportunities for observation.

Rather than separating conservation from everyday life, the proposal positions Gir as a relational landscape where ecological resilience depends on the continuous negotiation of boundaries, livelihoods, and mobility. By integrating ecological design with regional governance and community practices, the project presents a landscape framework that supports coexistence between wildlife and people while adapting to the evolving dynamics of conservation.