The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is an India-led international platform for cooperation on the conservation of seven big cat species and the landscapes they inhabit. It brings range countries, conservation bodies, scientific institutions and other partners together to address shared threats.
Basic Details
- Genesis: India launched the Alliance in 2023 during the commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger.
- Nature: It is an international conservation alliance focused on cooperation, knowledge exchange and capacity building.
- Headquarters: The Alliance is based in India.
- Species covered: Tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.
Need for the Alliance
- Shared threats: Habitat loss, poaching, illegal trade and human-wildlife conflict affect big cats across national borders.
- Range-country cooperation: Many species occupy more than one country, so national action alone cannot secure connected landscapes.
- Capacity gaps: Countries need access to science, trained personnel, technology and conservation finance.
Key Functions and Features
- Knowledge exchange: It promotes sharing of best practices, research, monitoring methods and threat assessments.
- Capacity building: It supports training and technical cooperation for effective big cat management.
- Resource mobilisation: It seeks finance and partnerships for conservation action across range landscapes.
- Public awareness: It raises global awareness of the ecological role and conservation needs of big cats.
Significance
- Landscape conservation: Protecting apex predators also protects prey, forests, grasslands and ecological corridors.
- India’s role: India hosts five of the seven species covered by the Alliance and can share experience in species recovery and monitoring.
- Coordinated action: The Alliance creates a common platform for threats that cross borders, including trafficking and habitat fragmentation.