Significant Support: India-Led Big Cat Alliance Grows with 16 Nations and 9 International Organizations, Officials Say

According to Environment Ministry officials on Friday, up to 16 nations—including Brazil, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Malaysia—have formally joined the recently established big cat alliance headed by India. Furthermore, permission to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) has been granted by nine international organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), which will have its headquarters in India, was approved for creation on Thursday by the Union Cabinet, which is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This partnership seeks to advance both a green economy and “Big Cat Diplomacy.”

Seven major big cats will be the focus of the initiative’s protection and conservation efforts: cheetahs, jaguars, pumas, tigers, lions, and leopards. Additionally, India has declared a one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for a five-year period spanning from 2023–2024 to 2027–2028. Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav confirmed to reporters that 16 nations have so far decided to join the IBCA. Furthermore, according to representatives of the Environment Ministry, more nations are anticipated to join shortly.

“We have received consent from 16 nations as alliance members and 9 international organisations. We are expecting more countries to join soon,” he said.
Seven big cats include Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Puma, Jaguar and the Cheetah out of these five big cats viz. Tigers, lions, leopards, Snow leopards and Cheetahs are found in India.
The International Big Cat Alliance has been conceived as a multi-country, multi-agency coalition that aims for mutual cooperation among countries for mutual benefit in furthering the conservation agenda.
The 16 alliance member countries are Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brazil, Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Suriname and Uganda.