Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
IBCA
"India-led intergovernmental organisation for the conservation of seven big cat species, headquartered in New Delhi."
The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9, 2023, at Mysuru during the commemoration of 50 Years of Project Tiger. The Union Cabinet formally approved India's participation and Rs 150 crore seed funding (2023-2028) on February 29, 2024, and IBCA acquired treaty status on January 23, 2025, after the deposit of the requisite fifth instrument of ratification. The founding ratifying members were India, Nicaragua, Eswatini, Somalia and Liberia. The alliance focuses on the conservation of seven big cats — Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma — the last two of which are not native to India. The IBCA is governed by an Assembly of Members, a Standing Committee, and a Secretariat in New Delhi, and works through knowledge exchange, capacity building, eco-tourism cooperation, finance mobilisation and species-recovery action plans.
GS2 (international institutions, India's diplomacy) and GS3 (environment, biodiversity). Important Prelims hook (founders, headquarters, species count) and Mains material on India's environmental soft power, complementing CITES, CMS and Project Tiger.
- 1 Launched April 9, 2023 at Mysuru by PM Modi during 50 Years of Project Tiger.
- 2 Headquartered in New Delhi; Rs 150 crore Indian seed funding for 2023-2028.
- 3 Founding five ratifiers: India, Nicaragua, Eswatini, Somalia, Liberia.
- 4 Acquired treaty status on January 23, 2025; 26 members and 5 observer states by May 2026.
- 5 Covers seven big cats: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, Puma.
- 6 Anchors India's species diplomacy alongside Project Tiger and Project Cheetah.
On May 22, 2026, Saudi Arabia formally joined the IBCA as its 26th member, deepening Riyadh's species-conservation cooperation with India.
