First Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

The 1st Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was held in New Delhi on June 16, presided over by the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav. He was endorsed as the President of the IBCA by the nine countries in attendance at the meeting – Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia and Kazakhstan.

Establishment: Formed by the Indian government through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in March 2024.

Mandate: Conservation of seven big cats:

• Tiger
• Lion
• Leopard
• Snow Leopard
• Cheetah
• Jaguar
• Puma

Global Scope:

• 95 range countries (natural habitats of the big cats), including Canada, China, Brazil, Russia, U.S., Iran, Nepal, Ghana, Pakistan, and others.
• 25 countries had joined IBCA as members by September 2024, including Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Rwanda, Suriname, Ecuador, and Peru.

Membership Criteria: Open to all UN member countries upon signing the framework agreement and submitting a Note Verbale (formal diplomatic communication).

Background: Announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023 in Mysuru, during the celebration of 50 years of Project Tiger.