The International Big Cat Alliance is a global initiative led by India for the conservation of seven major big cat species.
It covers:
• Tiger
• Lion
• Leopard
• Snow leopard
• Cheetah
• Jaguar
• Puma
The alliance aims to bring together big cat range countries, non-range countries, conservation organisations, scientific institutions and funding agencies to support big cat conservation through knowledge sharing, capacity building, technology support and financial cooperation.
It was launched by the Prime Minister of India on 9 April 2023, during the event marking 50 years of Project Tiger.
Background
India has long experience in big cat conservation, especially through Project Tiger, which was launched in 1973. India today has the world’s largest wild tiger population and has also worked on lion conservation, snow leopard conservation and cheetah reintroduction.
The International Big Cat Alliance was created to take this conservation experience to a global platform. The idea is that big cats face similar threats across continents, so conservation also requires international cooperation.
The Framework Agreement establishing IBCA came into force on 23 January 2025. From this date, IBCA became a full-fledged treaty-based inter-governmental international organisation with international legal personality.
In April 2025, India and IBCA signed the Headquarters Agreement in New Delhi. This allows India to host the IBCA headquarters and secretariat, making India the institutional centre of this global conservation platform.
Objectives
The main objective of IBCA is to strengthen global cooperation for the protection and conservation of big cats and their habitats.
It focuses on reducing the cost of financing and technology, mobilising resources, and supporting conservation action across big cat range countries.
Its major objectives include:
• Conservation of seven big cat species
• Protection of habitats and prey base
• Prevention of illegal wildlife trade
• Capacity building of range countries
• Sharing of scientific and technical knowledge
• Use of modern technology in conservation
• Mobilisation of financial resources
• Promotion of coexistence between humans and wildlife
The alliance is especially important because big cats are umbrella species. Protecting them also helps protect forests, grasslands, mountains, wetlands and other ecosystems where they live.
Membership
Membership of IBCA is open to all United Nations member states. It includes both range countries, where big cats are naturally found, and non-range countries, which want to support big cat conservation.
This is important because conservation requires not only habitat countries but also funding support, technology, research and global cooperation.
As per recent reporting ahead of IBCA’s first summit in New Delhi, out of around 95 big cat range countries, about 25 countries had formally joined IBCA as members, with five more participating as observers. India has been urging more range countries to join the treaty-based alliance.
Importance
IBCA is important because big cats are facing pressure across the world due to habitat loss, poaching, prey decline, illegal wildlife trade, climate change and human-wildlife conflict.
The threats are not limited to one country. For example, tiger conservation needs cooperation across South and Southeast Asia; snow leopard conservation requires trans-Himalayan and Central Asian cooperation; jaguar and puma conservation are linked with Latin American ecosystems; and lion conservation is important in Africa and India.
Big cat conservation helps in:
• Protecting biodiversity
• Conserving large ecosystems
• Maintaining ecological balance
• Controlling prey population dynamics
• Supporting forest and grassland conservation
• Strengthening eco-tourism and local livelihoods
• Improving global cooperation against wildlife crime
Since big cats sit at the top of the food chain, their decline often indicates deeper ecological degradation.
India’s Role
India plays a central role in IBCA because of its long conservation experience.
India is home to five of the seven big cats covered by IBCA: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah. The jaguar and puma are not found in India.
India’s experience includes:
• Project Tiger
• Asiatic lion conservation in Gir
• Project Snow Leopard
• Cheetah reintroduction
• Wildlife crime control
• Protected area management
• Community-based conservation
• Use of technology such as camera traps and monitoring systems
By hosting the IBCA headquarters and secretariat, India is positioning itself as a global leader in wildlife conservation and environmental diplomacy.
Challenges
IBCA’s success will depend on how effectively it converts global cooperation into field-level conservation outcomes.
The first challenge is funding. Many range countries have limited financial resources for habitat protection, anti-poaching, scientific monitoring and community-based conservation.
The second challenge is habitat fragmentation. Roads, mining, urbanisation, agriculture and infrastructure projects reduce the movement space of big cats.
The third challenge is human-wildlife conflict. As habitats shrink, big cats come into closer contact with people, livestock and settlements.
The fourth challenge is illegal wildlife trade. Skins, bones and body parts of big cats remain part of illegal transnational markets.
Major challenges include:
• Habitat loss
• Poaching
• Prey base decline
• Human-wildlife conflict
• Climate change
• Weak enforcement capacity
• Lack of funding in poorer range countries
• Transboundary wildlife crime
• Balancing conservation with local livelihoods
The alliance will need to ensure that conservation does not become only a diplomatic announcement. It must help countries with technology, financing, training and ground-level implementation.
Conclusion
The International Big Cat Alliance is India-led global platform for conserving seven major big cats and their habitats. Its significance lies in combining wildlife conservation with international cooperation, technology sharing and India’s environmental leadership.
