News : The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the website and logo for the 1st International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit 2026 which is to be hosted by India in New Delhi.
About International Big Cat Alliance:
It is an inter-governmental international organisation launched in 2023 during the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
It focuses on the conservation of seven big cats - Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.
Objective: To facilitate collaboration and synergy among stakeholders, consolidating successful conservation practices and expertise to achieve the conservation of big cats at a global level.
It brings together 95 range and non-range countries, conservation partners, scientific organisations, and corporates to promote collaboration and share conservation practices.
Implementation agency: The IBCA is implemented through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
Founding Members: India, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Suriname, & Uganda.
Membership: Membership is open to all UN Member States, including:
Range countries, where big cats naturally occur.
Non-range countries that are interested in supporting global conservation of big cats.
Institutional Support and Funding: India has committed ₹150 crore (for the period 2023–2028) as budgetary support for: Creating a corpus fund, Building infrastructure, and Covering recurring expenses of the IBCA.
Governance:
Assembly: It is a main decision making body which is comprised of representatives of all member countries.
Standing Committee: It is established by the Assembly shall assist in effective and efficient functioning of the IBCA.
Secretariat: It is based in New Delhi.
