Patanjali Civil Services Academy

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

Tags: Prelims Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Indian Express

Launch: 2023 by India; became a treaty-based intergovernmental international organisation in 2025.
Headquarters: India.
Objective: Global cooperation for conserving seven big cats and their habitats.
Seven Big Cats: Tiger – Asia; Lion – Africa and India (Asiatic lion); Leopard – Africa and Asia; Snow Leopard – Central and South Asia; Cheetah – Africa and Iran (Asiatic cheetah); Jaguar – Central and South America; Puma – North and South America
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, headquartered in Chennai.

Conservation Priorities

Habitat connectivity: Wildlife corridors beyond protected areas (PAs); safe wildlife crossings across roads and railways.
Human–wildlife coexistence: Community participation, conflict prevention and reduction of retaliatory killings.
Big Cat Dashboard: Proposed platform to track population trends, habitat change, mortality, threats and conservation outcomes.
International cooperation: Shared monitoring standards, technical training, finance and knowledge exchange.
Climate link: Big-cat conservation supports ecosystem health, biodiversity, carbon storage and water regulation.

India’s Conservation Initiatives

Q1. With reference to the International Big Cat Alliance and big-cat conservation, consider the following statements:

The International Big Cat Alliance was launched by India in 2023 and subsequently became a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation.
All seven big-cat species covered by the IBCA are naturally distributed in India.
Conservation of big cats beyond protected-area boundaries can contribute to habitat connectivity and reduce human–wildlife conflict.
The National Biodiversity Authority is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(d) All four

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

Statement 1 is Correct: India launched the IBCA in 2023, and it became a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation in 2025.
Statement 2 is Incorrect: The seven species are the tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma. Jaguars are native to the Americas, while pumas are found in North and South America; neither is naturally distributed in India.
Statement 3 is Correct: Wildlife corridors and safe crossings help maintain connectivity between habitats and can reduce risks associated with roads, railways and human–wildlife interactions.
Statement 4 is Correct: The NBA is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and is headquartered in Chennai.