Context:
The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) and has also allocated a one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for a five-year period, from 2023–24 to 2027–28.
About Big Cats:
- A ‘Big Cat’ refers to the larger species within the Felidae family, primarily including those in the Panthera genus: Tiger (Panthera tigris), Lion (Panthera leo), Jaguar (Panthera onca), Leopard (Panthera pardus), and Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia).”
- The cats Puma and Cheetah are not part of Panthera. But they are usually included in most listings of ‘big cats.
- India is home to five out of seven big cat species, Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Cheetah.
Significance of protecting Big Cats
- To keep ecosystem in balance
- Big cat habitat is a source of water for hundreds of millions of people.
- Mitigate climate change.
- Cultural significance.
- Big cat conservation supports economies.
About the International Big Cat Alliance:
- It is a global network for the conservation of big cats.
- The Indian government originally proposed the IBCA program in 2019, which was started in Mysuru to mark the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger.
- Its framework has been drafted based on the International Solar Alliance Pattern.
- It was founded as a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of 96 big cat range countries and non-range conservation.
- The headquarters countries engaged in big cat of IBCA will be located in India.
Objective:
- To ensure cooperation for the conservation of seven big cats: lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, snow leopard, jaguar, and puma.
- Conserving the big cats and their habitats.
- Reinforcing India’s leadership in global biodiversity conservation
Organizational Structure
- The IBCA’s structure will include an Assembly of Members, a Standing Committee, and a Secretariat, with headquarters based in India.
- The statute of the IBCA will be finalized by an International Steering Committee, which includes national focal points of founding member countries.
- An interim head of the IBCA Secretariat will be appointed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) until the IBCA appoints its Director-General during an Assembly meeting.
Financial Support and Exploration
- The Centre plans to seek contributions from bilateral and multilateral agencies; other appropriate institutions and mobilizing financial support from public sector organizations, national and international financial institutions and donor agencies to support the initiatives.
Significance of the International Big Cat Alliance:
- It highlights the importance of integrating biodiversity policies with sustainable development goals (SDGs).
- The Alliance promotes sustainable natural resource usage and mitigates the effects of climate change.
- It promotes natural climate adaptation, water and food security, and the well-being of thousands of populations that depend on these ecosystems.
- IBCA would encourage international cooperation for mutual benefit and make a significant contribution to the long-term conservation agenda.
Also Read :
A new species of head shield sea slug named after Draupadi Murmu