Why in news?

• The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) with headquarters in India with a one-time budgetary support of Rs.150 crore for a period of five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28.
• Framework of Agreement of IBCA has been drafted largely on the pattern of International Solar Alliance (ISA).

What’s in today’s article?

• International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
• Is India Home to All Seven Big Cats?

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

• Background:
  • During the Global Tiger Day event in 2019, PM Modi urged global leaders to unite against poaching in Asia.
  • He repeated this call during the 50th anniversary celebration of India's Project Tiger on April 9, 2023, announcing the launch of an International Big Cat Alliance.
• About
  • The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is a global alliance that aims to conserve the world's seven main big cats.
  • It will provide a platform for the member nations to share knowledge and expertise and extend support to recovery efforts in potential habitats.
• Aim: To work towards the protection and conservation of the seven major big cats — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah.
• HQ: India
• Membership
  • Membership to the alliance will be open to 96 range countries.
    • These are the countries which contain the natural habitat of these big cats.
  • The alliance is also open to other countries, conservation organisations, scientific organisations, businesses, and corporates interested in supporting big cats.
  • So far, 16 countries have given their written consent to be part of the IBCA.
  • In addition, nine international organizations, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International, have given consent to join the alliance.
• Governance Structure
  • A General Assembly consisting of all member countries.
  • A Council of at least seven but not more than 15 member countries elected by the General Assembly for a term of 5 years, and a Secretariat.
  • Upon the recommendation of the Council, the General Assembly will appoint the IBCA Secretary General for a specific term.
  • A Secretariat
• Funding
  • The first five years (2023-24 to 2027-28) will be supported by India's 'total grant assistance' ofRs.150 crore.
  • After that, the IBCA is expected to sustain itself through membership fees and contributions from bilateral and multilateral institutions and the private sector.
• Activities
  • It will provide a platform for the member nations to share knowledge and expertise and extend support to recovery efforts in potential habitats.
  • Its major activities will include advocacy, partnership, knowledge e-portal, capacity building, eco-tourism, partnerships between expert groups, and finance tapping.
  • IBCA will also assist existing species-specific inter-governmental platforms to boost conservation efforts.
• Benefits
  • The advantages of membership are a central common repository for technical know-how and a corpus of funds.
  • The alliance will strengthen existing species-specific intergovernmental platforms, networks, and transnational initiatives on conservation and protection.
  • Frontline staff in member-countries will be trained in eliciting local support for big-cat conservation, and research and development in wildlife monitoring.
  • Local communities living in the vicinity of the forests will also be encouraged and trained in developing eco-tourism and livelihood opportunities.
  • It recognizes the importance of integrating biodiversity policies with sustainable development goals (SDGs) to achieve holistic and inclusive conservation outcomes.

Is India Home to All Seven Big Cats?

• Out of 7 big cats, India is home to 5: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard and Cheetah
• Royal Bengal Tiger
  • As per the latest Tiger Census conducted in 2018-19, tiger population in India has increased to 2967.
  • India now accounts for about 70% of the world’s tiger population.
• Asiatic Lion
  • Gir National Park in Gujarat is the last abode for the surviving population of the Asiatic Lions in the world.
  • Since the late 1960s, population of Asiatic Lions has increased from less than 200 to 674 (Census 2020).
• Leopard
  • It is estimated that 12,000-14,000 leopards occur in India, and the population is the most genetically diverse/outbred out of all the subspecies in Asia.
• Snow Leopard
  • Snow leopard is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
  • In India, their geographical range encompasses a large part of the western Himalayas including the territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the eastern Himalayas.
  • In 2021, there are about 7,500 snow leopards left in the world, out of which 500 are in India.
• Cheetah
  • Cheetah had become extinct in India since 1952.
  • In September 2022, Cheetahs have been reintroduced in the wild in India as 8 Cheetahs were imported from Namibia.
  • They were released into the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh in November, 2022.