The first Assembly of International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for conservation of big cats in range countries, was held in New Delhi, today. Union Minster for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav presided over the meeting.
The Assembly, which is apex body of the IBCA, was attended by Ministerial delegation from 9 countries, viz., Kingdom of Bhutan, Kingdom of Cambodia, Kingdom of Eswatini, Republic of Guinea, Republic of India, Republic of Liberia, Republic of Suriname, Federal Republic of Somalia and Republic of Kazakhstan.
In his address, Shri Yadav said that led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has emerged as a global leader in the wildlife conservation, demonstrating notable successes over the past decade. He called upon the Big Cat range countries to actively engage and collaborate in the initiatives and programmes of the IBCA.
He emphasized the importance of collective action to advance the conservation and protection of the seven major big cat species and their natural habitats and assist in securing our ecological future and mitigate adverse effects of climate change.
The Assembly unanimously endorsed Shri Bhupender Yadav as the President of the IBCA. The Assembly also endorsed Shri S.P. Yadav as the Director General of IBCA. Created by the Government of India, the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is a coalition of 95 range countries with a mandate for conservation of seven big cats namely Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.
The Assembly endorsed the proceedings of the first International Steering Committee meeting of IBCA, which was held in April 2024, ratified the Headquarters Agreement signed by IBCA with Republic of India, approved the Workplan, Rules of Procedure of the Assembly and the manual of Staff and financial regulations of the IBCA.
These will serve as the guiding foundation for the effective governance, operations, and collaborative initiatives of the International Big Cat Alliance. The ratification of the Headquarter Agreement signed by IBCA with Republic of India, will enable the IBCA to establish its Headquarters and such other offices in the Host Country as may be necessary to fully and efficiently discharge its official functions and programmes and the Government recognizes the International legal personality of the IBCA and the IBCA Secretariat.
The IBCA was established by Government of India, through the nodal organisation viz. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change vide order dated 12.3.2024.
The primary objective of IBCA is to facilitate collaboration and synergy amongst range countries and other stakeholders, consolidating successful conservation practices and expertise to achieve a common goal of conservation of big cats at global level.
This unified approach, bolstered by financial support, aims to boost the biodiversity conservation agenda, halt the decline in big cat populations, and conserve our ecology. During the meeting, the dignitaries from the participating countries also showed their commitment for actively working for achieving the goals of IBCA for conservation of these magnificent species and work wholeheartedly for securing our ecological future and save the biodiversity.