Government approves establishment of International Big Cat Alliance

The Union Cabinet has approved the establishment of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) on 29 February 2024. The headquarters of the alliance will be in India. It will receive a one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.

Purpose of forming International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA):

• PM Modi had called for an alliance for the conservation of tigers, other species of the big cat family and its many endangered species. The PM announced this on the occasion of Global Tiger Day, 2019 to curb poaching in Asia, highlighting India's role in tiger conservation.
• The PM had reiterated his resolve on April 9, 2023, on the occasion of completion of 50 years of India's Project Tiger.
• Its purpose is to secure the future of big cats and the landscapes where they thrive. India's pioneering tiger conservation practices can be replicated in other countries.

About Big Cat Alliance:

• The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for formation of Big Cat Alliance under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Big Cat Alliance will be a multi-country, multi-agency coalition. It will bring together 96 big cat countries, countries with an interest in big cat conservation, conservation partners and scientific organizations.

Main creatures that come under Big Cat:

• There are mainly seven big cats under Big Cat, these mainly include:
  • Tiger
  • Lion
  • Cheetah
  • Snow Leopard
  • Puma
  • Jaguar
  • Leopard.

Big Cat Alliance Vision:

• Prime Minister Modi had envisioned this during his speech on the occasion of Global Tiger Day in the year 2019. During his speech, the Prime Minister had called for a coalition of global leaders to stop poaching in Asia.
• In this sequence, he reiterated this on April 9, 2023, to commemorate the completion of 50 years of India's Project Tiger. The launch of an International Big Cat Alliance was formally announced.
• Its aim is to secure the future of big cats and the landscapes in which they thrive. Therefore, these pioneering and long-standing good conservation practices for tigers and other big cats developed in India can be replicated in many other countries.

What is the provision for the Big Cat Alliance?

• The vision involves establishing a network as well as a system of business groups and corporates willing to contribute to the work of big cats. There is a system to develop coordination in a focused manner. So that centralized repository can be brought on a common platform.
• It has financial support.
• This can be leveraged to halt big cat population declines and strengthen the conservation agenda to reverse this trend.
• This would be a concrete step in bringing range countries and others in a leadership position on the Big Cat agenda on a common platform.