In a major push for India is set to host the first-ever Global Big Cat Summit where ministers from 95 range countries will deliberate on collective strategies
for conservation, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on Sunday (February 1, 2026). Presenting the Union Budget for 2026-27 in the Lok Sabha, FM Sitharaman said the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was set up in 2024. It is a treaty-based intergovernmental international organisation that has it's headquarter in New Delhi. "This year, India is hosting the first-ever Global Big Cat Summit, where heads of governments and ministers from 95 range countries will deliberate on collective strategies for conservation," she said.
What is Big Cat Alliance
The IBCA is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition launched by India in 2024 of over 90 big cat range countries and non-range countries with an interest in big cat conservation.
It is aimed at conserving the world’s seven big cat species, including the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.
It aims to provide a platform where governments, conservationists and civil society can share best practices, develop partnerships and outline an internationally coordinated responses to threats like habitat loss, poaching and climate change. Countries participating include diverse nations from Canada to Brazil, all sharing landscapes where Tigers naturally reside.
The step of a Summit by India is crucial as it's conservation journey offers practical know‑how, given the country's tiger population has grown significantly over the decades, bouncing back from severe declines in the 20th century to now hosting more than 3,600 wild tigers, roughly 70% of the global wild tiger population.
