Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav launched the website and logo for the 1st International Big Cat Alliance IBCA Summit 2026 in New Delhi this evening. During the event, he also released a promotional film on the Summit.
Addressing the occasion, Mr Yadav said, the summit is an important milestone towards a landmark global gathering dedicated to the conservation of the world’s iconic big cats. He informed that India will host the first IBCA Summit on 1st June this year in New Delhi, with participation expected from Heads of State and Heads of Government of Member and Observer countries. Highlighting India’s journey in big cat conservation, the Minister noted that it has been marked by commitment, innovation, scientific management, institutional collaboration and community participation. Referring to the success of Project Tiger and initiatives for lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah conservation, he stated that India has demonstrated that conservation and development can go hand in hand, strengthening ecosystems, improving livelihoods, resilience, and mitigating climate challenges. Mr Yadav informed that a key outcome of the Summit would be the adoption of the first-ever global declaration on big cat conservation, titled the ‘Delhi Declaration’, which will articulate shared priorities, strengthen transboundary cooperation and promote a landscape-based approach for conserving big cats and their habitats.
Secretary Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Tanmay Kumar, Secretary (West) in Ministry of External Affairs Sibi George and Director General, IBCA S.P. Yadav also addressed the gathering.
Several Heads of Mission of Big Cat Range Countries, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of External Affairs and IBCA attended the event. The IBCA, an inter-governmental international organisation headquartered in India, has been established for the conservation of seven big cats – Lion, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma.
