To counter the lack of genetic diversity within Asiatic lions, under Project Lion six new sites have been identified for possible lion relocation, viz., Madhav National Park, Madhya Pradesh, Sita Mata Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, Jessore-Balaram Ambaji WLS and adjoining landscape, Gujarat The lion population in Gir has low genetic diversity, making it vulnerable to threats of extension from epidemics. And hence, Project Lion was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2020, for the conservation of the Asiatic Lion. The Wildlife Institute of India, along with the Gujarat Forest Department, had created a Project Lion proposal.

Researchers and scientists from CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad sequenced the entire genome of the Asiatic lion for the very first time. The results have shown them to be lacking genetic diversity in comparison to other lion populations and historical samples of Asiatic lions. To counter this problem the project lion proposal sought to create free-ranging line populations within Gujarat and in other states.

According to the 14th Lion Population Estimation Report 2015, the only free-ranging population of about 674 Asiatic lions exists in the ALL (ALL includes Gir National Park and Sanctuary and covers eight districts of Gujarat, including Junagadh, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Porbandar, Rajkot, Gir-Somnath, Botad, and Jamnagar) that is spread over approximately 30,000 square kilometers.