Kathmandu/New Delhi: Nepal has officially joined the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) by signing the Framework Agreement, the alliance announced on Saturday. The move marks a significant step in global efforts to protect and conserve big cat species across their natural habitats.
The IBCA is an India-led, multi-country and multi-agency coalition comprising over 90 countries, both big cat range nations and others with a vested interest in conservation. The alliance aims to safeguard seven iconic big cat species: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma.
“With snow leopard, tiger, and common leopard in its landscape, Nepal’s joining the IBCA will strengthen global collaboration for big cat conservation,” the IBCA said in a statement. It also congratulated the Government of Nepal, calling this a “significant step towards shared ecological security.”
Nepal has emerged as a global success story in big cat conservation, nearly tripling its tiger population from just 121 in 2009 to 355 in 2022, according to its most recent census.
The International Big Cat Alliance was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9, 2023, in Mysuru, Karnataka, as a platform to unite nations in addressing threats to big cat species and their ecosystems. India, with its long-standing leadership in tiger conservation and strong models for species like the lion, leopard, and snow leopard, aims to share its expertise and drive collective action.
Through the IBCA, member countries can share knowledge, pool resources, and develop collaborative solutions for big cat conservation on a global scale.
