Bangladesh has formally joined the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) as its 27th member country, reinforcing global cooperation for the conservation of seven major big cat species. The IBCA secretariat announced the accession on June 24, 2026, underscoring the strengthening of transboundary wildlife management and habitat protection under the India-led initiative. Bangladesh’s membership carries particular significance given that the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest shared with India, is home to one of the most critical populations of the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger.
What Is the International Big Cat Alliance?
The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) is a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation established to strengthen global cooperation for the conservation of seven major big cat species and their habitats. India conceived and launched the alliance, positioning itself as a global leader in big cat conservation diplomacy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi first proposed the idea during the Global Tiger Day celebrations in July 2019, calling for an alliance of global leaders to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia. He formally launched the IBCA on April 9, 2023 at Mysuru, Karnataka, during a mega event commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger. The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of IBCA with its headquarters in India on February 29, 2024, providing a one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for five years from 2023-24 to 2027-28. The alliance officially came into force as a full-fledged treaty-based international legal entity on January 23, 2025, after the required number of countries deposited their instruments of ratification.
The IBCA secretariat is headquartered in New Delhi and functions under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) played a key role in its establishment. India has committed $100 million in total grant assistance to sustain the alliance for its first five years, after which it is expected to become self-sustaining through membership fees and contributions from bilateral and multilateral organisations.
The Seven Big Cats Under IBCA
IBCA focuses on the conservation of the world’s seven principal big cat species. These apex predators play a critical role in maintaining ecological balance across diverse landscapes spanning Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Of these seven, five are found in India (Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Cheetah), while Jaguar and Puma are found exclusively in the Americas.
| Big Cat | Scientific Name | Primary Range Regions | IUCN Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiger | Panthera tigris | Asia (India, Russia, Southeast Asia) | Endangered |
| Lion | Panthera leo | Africa, one population in India (Gir) | Vulnerable |
| Leopard | Panthera pardus | Africa, Asia | Vulnerable |
| Snow Leopard | Panthera uncia | Central Asia, Himalayan region | Vulnerable |
| Cheetah | Acinonyx jubatus | Africa, reintroduced in India | Vulnerable |
| Jaguar | Panthera onca | Central and South America | Near Threatened |
| Puma | Puma concolor | Americas | Least Concern |
The alliance adopts a holistic approach to conservation, addressing common threats such as habitat loss due to deforestation and urbanisation, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and human-wildlife conflict. IBCA serves as a common platform for the 95 big cat range countries to share knowledge, benchmark best practices, and mobilise resources for species-specific and landscape-level interventions.
Why Bangladesh’s Membership Matters
Bangladesh’s accession to IBCA is a significant step for big cat conservation in South Asia, a region that hosts some of the most important tiger habitats in the world. Bangladesh becomes the latest South Asian nation to join the alliance, alongside India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. The move signals a growing regional consensus on the need for collaborative transboundary conservation strategies.
Beyond the numbers, Bangladesh’s membership strengthens the alliance’s credibility as a truly global platform. The IBCA now counts 27 member countries spanning Asia, Africa, and the Americas, with five additional countries participating as observers. Bangladesh’s decision to join reflects the expanding diplomatic reach of the India-led initiative and growing international endorsement of its conservation model.
The Sundarbans Connection
The most compelling reason for Bangladesh’s membership lies in the Sundarbans, the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world, spanning approximately 10,000 square kilometres across India and Bangladesh. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the last remaining strongholds of the Royal Bengal Tiger and supports one of the largest tiger populations in a single landscape.
Transboundary cooperation is essential for the Sundarbans because tigers do not recognise international borders. Poaching, prey depletion, habitat degradation, and climate change-induced sea level rise are threats that affect both sides of the boundary. Under the IBCA framework, India and Bangladesh can coordinate anti-poaching patrols, share scientific data, harmonise conservation protocols, and jointly tackle wildlife crime.
Bangladesh also gains access to IBCA’s centralised repository of conservation best practices, training programmes for forest personnel, and opportunities for technical collaboration with other member countries facing similar challenges in mangrove and delta ecosystems.
IBCA’s Governance and Funding
IBCA operates through a three-tier governance structure. The General Assembly consists of all member countries and serves as the apex decision-making body. A Council of between 7 and 15 member nations is elected by the General Assembly for a five-year term to oversee the alliance’s operations. The Secretariat, based in New Delhi, handles day-to-day administration, and the Secretary General is appointed by the General Assembly on the Council’s recommendation.
Membership is open to all UN member states, including both range countries where big cats are naturally found and non-range countries interested in supporting conservation. Partner organisations such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Customs Organization, and the Global Tiger Forum collaborate with IBCA to advance its objectives.
India has provided a one-time budgetary support of Rs 150 crore for the first five years, part of the broader $100 million grant assistance commitment. After this initial period, the alliance aims to sustain itself through membership fees, contributions from multilateral institutions, and private sector partnerships. This funding model reflects India’s strategy of catalytic financing, where initial investment builds institutional capacity that eventually becomes self-supporting.
India’s Growing Role in Global Conservation Diplomacy
The launch and expansion of IBCA is a testament to India’s emergence as a global leader in wildlife conservation. India’s credentials in this domain are built on decades of demonstrated success. Project Tiger, launched in 1973, transformed India’s tiger population from a low of 1,411 in 2006 to an estimated 3,167 in 2022, accounting for more than 70% of the world’s wild tigers. India also successfully completed the reintroduction of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa under Project Cheetah, the first intercontinental translocation of a wild cat species.
The Asiatic lion, found only in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, has seen its population rise steadily under dedicated conservation efforts. The Snow Leopard population in the high-altitude Himalayan region is being monitored through community-based conservation programmes. India is home to five of the seven big cats covered under IBCA, giving it unmatched expertise across multiple species and ecosystems.
India hosted the first IBCA Summit on June 1-2, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, a landmark event that brought together heads of state, policymakers, and conservation experts from member countries. The summit adopted the first-ever Global Declaration on Big Cat Conservation (The Delhi Declaration), establishing a unified framework for international cooperation. This summit placed big cat conservation at the centre of the global sustainability discourse, linking it with biodiversity security, climate mitigation, and community livelihoods.
Through IBCA, India is facilitating South-South cooperation, capacity building, and technology transfer among range countries. The alliance’s framework, rooted in India’s own conservation experience, provides a replicable model for other developing nations facing similar challenges in balancing ecological preservation with economic development.
Key Takeaways
- Bangladesh became the 27th member of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) in June 2026, strengthening transboundary tiger conservation in the Sundarbans.
- IBCA was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 9, 2023 in Mysuru, Karnataka, during the commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger.
- The alliance covers seven big cat species: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma, with five of them found in India.
- IBCA is headquartered in New Delhi and became a treaty-based intergovernmental organisation on January 23, 2025, with India committing $100 million (Rs 150 crore) for its first five years.
- The first IBCA Summit was held on June 1-2, 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, adopting the Delhi Declaration on big cat conservation.
- India hosts more than 70% of the world’s wild tigers and is the only country with a wild population of Asiatic lions in the Gir Forest of Gujarat.
