The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) will organise a series of thematic events across the country ahead of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit 2026 to highlight India’s conservation efforts for major wild cat species.
The programmes will focus on India’s five big cat species — tiger, Asiatic lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah — and showcase conservation achievements, challenges and collaborative initiatives undertaken by the Centre and state governments.
According to the Ministry, the events will be held at key locations associated with each species. The Asiatic Lion Conservation Programme will be organised in Gir, Gujarat, while the Cheetah Conservation Programme will take place in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Bhubaneswar in Odisha will host the Leopard Conservation and International Day for Biological Diversity event, while the Snow Leopard Conservation Programme will be organised in Gangtok, Sikkim. The Tiger Conservation Programme will be held in Chandrapur, Maharashtra.
The Ministry said the pre-summit programmes are aimed at promoting awareness, strengthening stakeholder engagement and highlighting India’s conservation success stories under flagship wildlife initiatives. The events will also underline India’s leadership in establishing the International Big Cat Alliance following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for enhanced global cooperation in wildlife conservation.
On Asiatic lion conservation, the Ministry highlighted the implementation of Project Lion, scientific population monitoring, habitat improvement and expansion of lion distribution beyond the Gir Protected Area. It also noted the role of local communities, including Maldharis, in conservation efforts and the Gujarat government’s initiatives related to community participation and livestock compensation mechanisms.
Regarding tiger conservation, the Ministry said India is home to over 70 per cent of the world’s wild tiger population and has emerged as a global leader through sustained efforts under Project Tiger and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Measures such as expansion of tiger reserves, wildlife corridor protection, use of camera trapping and AI-enabled monitoring systems, anti-poaching infrastructure and eco-development initiatives will be highlighted during the Chandrapur programme.
The Bhubaneswar event will focus on leopard conservation and coexistence in human-dominated landscapes. The Ministry said measures including rapid response teams, rescue and rehabilitation infrastructure, public awareness campaigns and technology-based monitoring are helping address human-wildlife conflict. The programme will coincide with the observance of the International Day for Biological Diversity.
For snow leopard conservation, the Gangtok programme will focus on the protection of fragile Himalayan ecosystems. The Ministry highlighted initiatives such as the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI), community-based conservation, sustainable livelihood promotion and climate-resilient planning in high-altitude habitats.
The Bhopal programme on cheetah conservation will showcase India’s ongoing Project Cheetah, described as the world’s first intercontinental translocation initiative for large carnivores. The Ministry said efforts include the reintroduction of cheetahs from Namibia and South Africa, scientific monitoring, grassland ecosystem restoration and long-term habitat management.
The International Big Cat Alliance, launched by India, seeks to strengthen global cooperation for the conservation of seven major big cat species worldwide. According to the Ministry, the thematic programmes will serve as platforms to promote collaboration, share conservation knowledge, highlight policy initiatives and reinforce India’s role in global wildlife conservation.
The events are being organised in coordination with State Forest Departments, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Wildlife Institute of India, National Biodiversity Authority, Indian Institute of Forest Management and other stakeholders.
