India to host first International Big Cat Alliance Summit, ‘Delhi Declaration’ on conservation expected
New Delhi: The inaugural International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit will be held here from June 1 to 3, with representatives from 95 countries expected to participate, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said Wednesday.
The summit is set to adopt the first-ever global declaration on big cat conservation, titled the ‘Delhi Declaration’. The document will lay out shared priorities, strengthen transboundary cooperation, and promote a landscape-based approach for conserving big cats and their habitats.
The International Big Cat Alliance was launched by India in 2023 to focus on the conservation of seven big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar, and cheetah. The IBCA aims to facilitate collaboration among range countries, share best practices, and mobilize resources for habitat protection and conflict mitigation.
“Big cats are apex species and indicators of healthy ecosystems,” a ministry official said. “The Delhi Declaration will be a blueprint for coordinated action across borders.”
The three-day summit will bring together government representatives, conservationists, and scientists to discuss anti-poaching strategies, habitat connectivity, climate impacts, and community-led conservation models.
India is home to five of the seven big cats and holds over 75% of the world’s wild tiger population. It reintroduced cheetahs from Africa in 2022 under Project Cheetah.
