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The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
Context:
In a significant development for wildlife conservation, the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) has officially come into force as a treaty-based inter-governmental international organisation.
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- The Framework Agreement for the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) officially came into force on 23rd January 2025.
- IBCA and its Secretariat have now become a full-fledged treaty-based intergovernmental international organisation and legal entity.
Overview of IBCA
- Launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 9th April 2023 during the event ‘Commemorating 50 Years of Project Tiger’.
- Union Cabinet Approval: The Union Cabinet of India approved the establishment of IBCA on 29th February 2024.
- Headquarters: The IBCA headquarters is located in India.
- Establishment Order: The Government of India, through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC), officially established IBCA via an order dated 12th March 2024.
Mission and Objectives
- The goal of IBCA is the conservation of seven big cat species: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma. It includes both range countries (countries where these species are found) and non-range countries (countries interested in supporting big cat conservation).
- The IBCA invites all UN countries and range countries that harbour these species, as well as non-range countries willing to support big cat conservation.
Ratification and Membership
- The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, as the Depository of the Framework Agreement, confirmed that five countries have ratified the agreement:
- Republic of Nicaragua
- Kingdom of Eswatini
- Republic of India
- Federal Republic of Somalia
- Republic of Liberia
- These countries have deposited their instruments of ratification/acceptance/approval under Article VIII (1) of the Framework Agreement.
- A total of 27 countries, including India, have agreed to join IBCA.
- Several international and national organisations working in wildlife conservation have also partnered with IBCA.
Key Functions of IBCA
- Facilitates collaboration and synergy among stakeholders to consolidate successful conservation practices.
- Promotes financial and technical support to strengthen the conservation agenda.
- Provides a collaborative platform to share best practices and increase global knowledge on big cat conservation.
- Hosts a central repository of technical know-how and a corpus of funds for conservation efforts.
- Strengthens existing species-specific intergovernmental platforms, networks, and transnational initiatives.
- Secures the ecological future and mitigates climate change impacts by ensuring the survival and protection of big cat species.
Interesting Facts About Big Cats
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Big Cats in the Indian Subcontinent
- Historically, the Indian subcontinent has been home to several big cat species:
- Bengal Tiger
- Asiatic Lion
- Indian Leopard
- Indian/Asiatic Cheetah
- Snow Leopard
- The cheetah was declared extinct in India in 1952.
- In 2022, the Government of India launched an ambitious project to reintroduce African cheetahs to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
