Opinion What is the International Big Cat Alliance, launched by India?

What is the International Big Cat Alliance?

The Indian government established the IBCA through the National Tiger Conservation Authority, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in March 2024. Its mandate is the conservation of seven big cats – the Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.

It aims “to facilitate collaboration and synergy among stakeholders, consolidating successful conservation practices and expertise and replicating them in range countries.” The Union government has allocated Rs 150 crore for the purpose from 2023-24 to 2027-28.

There are 95 range countries (falling within the natural distribution of a species) for the big cats, including Canada, China, Congo, Ghana, Brazil, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia and the United States. Twenty-five countries have consented to be members of the IBCA, as of September 2024, including Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Kenya and Rwanda.

All UN member countries can become members after the framework agreement is signed and conveyed through a Note Verbale, a method of formal diplomatic communication.

What was the rationale behind the initiative?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the IBCA in 2023 in Mysuru, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger. That initiative came at a time when India’s tiger population was rapidly dwindling. While there were an estimated 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of Independence, their numbers fell to around 1,800 by 1970 due to widespread hunting and poaching.

The killing of the apex predators also has ripple effects on the rest of the ecosystem. As the IBCA has noted in a report, they regulate prey populations, which helps maintain the health of landscapes and prevents overgrazing that can lead to ecological calamities like wildfires and disease.

Protecting big cats also safeguards the habitats they roam, which are home to many other species. Thus, the comprehensive effects of conserving these species can include mitigating natural disasters, conserving soil, controlling pandemics, supporting climate adaptation and contributing to climate change mitigation by storing and sequestering carbon.

Project Tiger was instrumental in the creation of tiger reserves, beginning with nine zones in Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. These included the famous Kanha reserve in MP, the Jim Corbett reserve in Uttarakhand and Bandipur in Karnataka.

At present, India has more than 3,600 tigers, accounting for 70% of the world’s tiger population. However, challenges such as deforestation and instances of man-animal conflict remain. Some of the existing threats have also morphed to evade the authorities’ radar. As The Indian Express reported in an investigation earlier this year, poaching networks have become “leaner and more mobile: fewer middlemen, hired transporters to cut risk as they move consignments, and tie-ups with narcotics and arms syndicates.”

In his address on Monday, Yadav emphasised the importance of collective action to advance conservation. The ratification of the headquarters agreement signed at the event enabled the body to establish its headquarters and other offices in India.