- Why in news
- On 12 October 2026, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav inaugurated the new office premises of the International Big Cat Alliance at 55 Lodhi Estate, New Delhi.
- What it is
- The International Big Cat Alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organisation headquartered in India. It works for the conservation of seven big cats: lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma. It was launched by India's Prime Minister in 2023, drawing on the experience of Project Tiger.
- Legal nature
- IBCA is a treaty-based inter-governmental international organisation with headquarters in India.
- Seven species
- It covers lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.
- Indian funding
- India pledged an initial Rs 150 crore for five years, 2023-24 to 2027-28.
- Membership
- 29 countries are members, 5 are Observers and 11 more have consented to become members.
- Launch
- It was launched in 2023 by the Prime Minister, at Mysuru, on the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
- Capacity building
- Two ITEC capacity building programmes sponsored by MEA were held for foreign participants.
- Species covered
- IBCA covers seven big cats: Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.
- Status and headquarters
- IBCA is an inter-governmental organisation with its headquarters in India.
- Launch year
- IBCA was launched in 2023 on the initiative of PM Narendra Modi.
- Summit theme
- The first IBCA Summit has the theme 'Save Big Cats, Save Humanity, Save Ecosystem'.
- Delhi Declaration
- The Summit is to adopt the first-ever global declaration on big cat conservation, the 'Delhi Declaration', promoting a landscape-based approach and transboundary cooperation.
Don’t confuse with IBCA vs Global Tiger Forum: IBCA covers seven big cats and is treaty-based; the Global Tiger Forum is an older body focused only on tigers.
Don’t confuse with IBCA vs International Solar Alliance: Both are India-initiated alliances headquartered in India, but ISA works on solar energy, IBCA on big cats.
Don’t confuse with IBCA vs Project Tiger: IBCA is an international alliance launched in 2023. Project Tiger is India's national tiger conservation programme, started in 1973.
International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.
Why it matters
- Extends India's Project Tiger experience into global conservation leadership and diplomacy.
- Links wildlife conservation with capacity building and cooperation among Global South states.
- Gives India a leadership role in global conservation diplomacy and South-South cooperation.
- Links big cat conservation to biodiversity and climate goals.
Problems
- Funding depends largely on India's pledge, which runs only to 2027-28.
- Range countries differ in capacity, and habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict remain.
- Some big cat range countries are not yet members, which limits the alliance's reach.
- Human-wildlife conflict and habitat loss remain hard problems across range countries.
Way forward
- Widen the donor base and bring pending countries into full membership.
- Align work with CITES and other global biodiversity frameworks.
- Bring more range countries in and turn the Delhi Declaration into funded, time-bound action.
- Use landscape-based and transboundary approaches with community participation.
Put in your answer
Membership data: 29 members, 5 Observers and 11 more countries consenting show growing global uptake.
Indian commitment: Rs 150 crore pledged for 2023-24 to 2027-28 shows India's financial support.
Project Tiger: Cited as India's conservation success that inspired IBCA, alongside efforts for lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah.
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q8Discuss aims of Kunming-Montreal framework and India's biodiversity commitments.
- 2018Mains GS3 · Q17How biodiversity varies in India and how Biological Diversity Act aids conservation.
- 2024Prelims Q25Which statements about lion, cheetah and leopard behaviour are correct?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Pairs
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following pairs about the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA):
- 1.Legal nature and headquarters — A treaty-based inter-governmental organisation headquartered in India
- 2.Species covered — Seven big cats, including jaguar and puma
- 3.Indian initial pledge — Rs 150 crore for ten years from 2023-24
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
True or false?
1 of 6
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The International Big Cat Alliance is a treaty-based inter-governmental organisation headquartered in India.
True. IBCA is treaty-based with HQ in India.
2.The Alliance covers seven big cat species, including jaguar and puma.
True. Seven species: lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, puma.
3.The Alliance is limited to the tiger range countries.
False. It covers seven big cats and is open to range countries and others, including non-range countries.
4.India has pledged an initial contribution of Rs 150 crore for five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
True. Rs 150 crore over 2023-24 to 2027-28.
5.India pledged Rs 150 crore for ten years to the Alliance.
False. The pledge is for five years, 2023-24 to 2027-28.
6.IBCA's capacity building programmes for foreign participants were organised under the ITEC programme sponsored by the Ministry of Environment.
False. ITEC is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Source: PIB, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 12 Oct, 18:29 IST · Release 2322416
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.