While commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) on April 9, 2023, at an international event in Mysuru. The alliance’s purpose is cooperation and coordination among all range and non-range countries to conserve seven big cats—tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma—and protect their habitats.
The launch was prompted by Modi’s call for a global alliance to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade during the Global Tiger Day event on July 29, 2019. In March 2024, after the Cabinet’s approval, IBCA was established with its secretariat in New Delhi. SP Yadav, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, was appointed its Director General.
There are 95 range countries providing habitats for all seven species of big cats targeted to be brought in alliance; 21 of these, including India, have already joined. The other twenty are Armenia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Peru, Somalia, Suriname, Nicaragua, Guinea, Eswatini (Swaziland) and Uganda.
To achieve the conservation goal, the alliance focuses on natural climate adaptation, the well-being of the communities reliant on the respective ecosystems, and their food and water security. It also extends to scientific research, policy advocacy, capacity building, and corroborative partnerships for conservation goals.
In India, IBCA aims to conserve the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, and cheetah. However, the success of India’s attempts to reintroduce cheetahs has been questionable, as they are still in semi-wild condition and yet to be opened for free-ranging. There were also questions about bringing African cheetahs instead of Asian ones, which are extinct in India but seen only in Iran. Iran does not have enough cheetahs to spare, either.
India is the global leader in tiger conservation. There are 52 tiger reserves spread over nearly 80,000 sqkm of tiger habitats. Thirteen tiger range countries met in St Petersburg in 2010 and resolved to double tiger numbers by 2022. Only India was able to fulfil this commitment. Tiger surveys in 2022 confirmed the presence of 3,682 tigers in India.
While countries like Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Nepal have had some success, tigers have disappeared from Laos and Cambodia. The practice of poaching for the skin and body parts of tigers is still prevalent in these countries. Authorities in China, Taiwan, and the Philippines have not been able to curb the market for the illegal arrival of body parts of wild animals. Authorities in India should also pay more attention to reversing the trend of shrinking tiger habitats.
Tiger reserves in India comprise the country’s pristine and best forests. Many tiger reserves in India have received accreditation from WWF’s Conservation Assured Tiger Standards(CA|TS), which few tiger range countries have achieved.
India is the only country harbouring a wild Asiatic lion population of nearly 800 in Gujarat. Lions roar more than tigers and give away their locations. As a result, they were easily hunted down during pre-conservation days. They are available in only a pocket of Gir forests in Gujarat. Rehabilitating them in other areas with established corridors will minimise inbreeding.
Countries in the African continent have suitable habitats for harbouring African lions. African and Indian lions used to be bred in captivity, but the Central Zoo Authority prohibited this in 2000. The hybrid lions at a quite advanced age are available in a few rescue centres after seizing them from Circus.
Estimates show that India has 13,874 leopards and 718 snow leopards. Unlike tigers, leopards are found close to human habitations and are at greater risk of poaching. Leopards thrive in diverse ecosystems, from tropical rainforests to alpine regions and Savannas, deserts, and Mediterranean scrubs.
Snow leopards are inhabited in the higher Himalayan region of India and central Asian countries like Kirgizstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, etc. None of the countries have carried out surveys because of the elusive nature of the animal and the harsh terrain of its habitat. However, experts think there may be 3,500-7,000 of them across 12 range Asian countries.
Following European colonisation, pumas were eliminated from the US East Coast nearly 200 years ago. An isolated population of 100 to 180 individuals is reported near Florida. Reports indicate that they are re-colonising in northeastern Canada and the eastern coast of the US. Their abundance in dense rain forests of the Amazon basin is yet to be studied, but it is reported to be 0.5 to 7 animals per 100 sqkm in Uruguay. Pumas have greater adaptability. Despite human-induced habitat loss, they thrive in cold mountain regions in the US and tropical forests and deserts.
The estimated population of jaguars worldwide is 1,73,000. Their habitat is estimated to be 19 million sqkm, encompassing 18 countries from the southern US to southern Argentina. Conflict with humans becomes common due to the loss and fragmentation of low-land jungles and montane forests at altitudes up to 2,000 metres, which are jaguars’ habitats.
IBCA can help coordinate and check the nefarious activities of inter-country trafficking cartels. The Ministry of External Affairs is trying to increase its membership and planning to organise capacity-building exercises for staff from African and Asian countries. Laos’ request to translocate Indian tigers in their forests is being processed. Collaboration between African and Indian managers is in progress to address the bottlenecks in the ongoing Cheetah translocation program at Kuno, India. IBCA is cohosting an international conference in Peru to deal with the human-Jaguar conflict.
(The author is a retired PCCF (Head of Forest Force), Karnataka)