ENVIRONMENTAL DIPLOMACY: INTERNATIONAL BIG CAT ALLIANCE (IBCA)

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Picture Courtesy:  THEHINDU

Context

The Union Finance Minister announced that India will host the inaugural International Big Cat Summit, where ministers from 95 range countries will discuss joint conservation strategies.

What is the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)?

Launch: Announced by the Prime Minister of India in April 2023, to commemorate 50 years of "Project Tiger".

Status: It became a treaty-based inter-governmental body in January 2025.

Objective: To create a global network for countries home to big cats to share knowledge, access resources, and implement joint conservation strategies.

Governance Bodies: It consists of an Assembly of Members (apex decision-making body meeting every two years), a Standing Committee, and a Secretariat.

Framework: The organization's statute is modeled after the International Solar Alliance (ISA).

Headquarters: New Delhi, India.

Funding: Government of India has committed an initial grant of ₹150 crore for the first five years (2023-28) (Source: PIB).

The Seven Big Cats

The alliance focuses on the conservation of the world's seven major big cats. Five of these species are found in India.

What is Environmental Diplomacy? 

It is the practice of managing international relations through negotiation and communication to address shared ecological challenges that transcend national borders. 

It serves as the intersection of environmental and foreign policy, where nations collaborate to protect global ecosystems while balancing their own national interests. 

Core Objectives

Managing Global Commons: Cooperatively managing shared resources like the oceans, atmosphere, and biodiversity that no single nation owns.

Preventing Transboundary Harm: Addressing issues like air and water pollution that originate in one country but affect neighbors (e.g., acid rain disputes between the U.S. and Canada).

Promote Equity: Resolving the "Common but Differentiated Responsibilities" (CBDR) principle, which balances the historical responsibility of industrialised nations with the development needs of poorer countries. 

Key Tools and Mechanisms

Multilateral Agreements (MEAs): Large-scale treaties such as the Paris Agreement (climate) and the Montreal Protocol (ozone layer).

Bilateral Pacts: Direct agreements between two nations, such as the Indo-Bhutan Green Grid Project or U.S.-China joint climate announcements.

Financial Diplomacy: Using mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund to help developing nations invest in sustainable infrastructure.

Science Diplomacy: Relying on authoritative data from bodies like the IPCC to inform political negotiations. 

IBCA and India's Environmental Diplomacy

The IBCA is key to India's soft power and foreign policy, highlighting its global environmental commitment.

• Showcasing Project Tiger's Success: Project Tiger, launched in 1973, is a global conservation success. India now hosts 3,682 tigers, over 75% of the world's wild tiger population, giving it the credibility to lead a global alliance. (Source: Status of Tigers Report)
• Leading the Global South: The alliance, comprising developing nations from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, serves as a crucial platform for South-South cooperation on environmental matters.
• Active Conservation Diplomacy: Project Cheetah, India's first inter-continental large carnivore translocation, exemplifies practical diplomacy. 
• Agreements with Namibia and South Africa demonstrate the power of bilateral partnerships in ecological restoration.

Major Challenges in Big Cat Conservation

Habitat Loss & Fragmentation

Unplanned urbanization, infrastructure, and agriculture lead to habitat isolation and increased human-wildlife conflict.

Human-Wildlife Conflict

Habitat loss pushes predators into human settlements, causing attacks on livestock and people, which often results in big cat retaliatory killings.

Poaching & Illegal Trade

Organized wildlife crime, driven by global demand for big cat parts (skin, bones) in traditional medicine and luxury goods.

Climate Change

Alters ecosystems and prey availability. For example, rising sea levels in the Sundarbans directly threaten the habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Way Forward

The success of the IBCA will depend on sustained, concrete actions by member nations.

Strengthen Institutional Frameworks

Strengthen the IBCA with a clear mandate, sustainable funding beyond India's initial grant, and compliance mechanisms

Promote Community-Centric Conservation

Transition from 'fortress conservation' to an inclusive model, empowering local communities as partners who benefit economically (e.g., through eco-tourism) from conservation efforts.

Leverage Modern Technology

Modernize monitoring and combat poaching using technologies like AI surveillance, satellite mapping, and DNA forensics.

Integrate Conservation with Development

Member nations must integrate biodiversity safeguards into their economic and infrastructure plans to prevent development from damaging wildlife corridors.

Conclusion

India cements its role as a proactive and responsible leader in global environmental governance by spearheading the International Big Cat Alliance while working to secure the future of big cat species

Source: THEHINDU