International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

According to a media report, India has proposed to launch the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) under its leadership to protect big cats and assured support over five years with guaranteed funding of $100 million (over Rs 800 crore).

Key facts

• The IBCA will work towards the protection and conservation of the seven major big cats — tiger (Endangered), Asiatic Lion (Endangered), leopard (Vulnerable), snow leopard (Vulnerable), puma (Least Concern), jaguar (Near Threatened) and cheetah (Vulnerable).

• Membership to the alliance will be open to 97 “range” countries, which contain the natural habitat of these big cats, as well as other interested nations, international organisations, etc.

• With re-introduction of cheetahs, India is the only country in the world to have tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards and cheetahs in the wild.

• Now India have all the big cats, except the pumas and jaguars, today.

• The alliance’s purpose is to provide a platform for “dissemination of information on benchmarked practices, capacity building, resources repository, research and development, awareness creation”, etc., on the protection and conservation of big cats.

(Note: The page was edited for Asiatic lion IUCN status)