INDIA : LEADER OF IBCA

Context:

India has proposed to launch a mega global alliance under its leadership to protect big cats and assured support over five years with guaranteed funding of $100 million

About IBCA

Aim:

Protection and conservation of the seven major big cats — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma (mountain lions), jaguar and cheetah.

To provide a platform for “dissemination of information on benchmarked practices, capacity building, resources repository, research and development, awareness creation”, etc., on the protection and conservation of big cats.

Governance structure:

General Assembly (consisting of all member countries)

A council (seven to 15 member countries elected by the General Assembly for a term of 5 years)

A Secretariat (headed by IBCA Secretary General for a specific term)

Funding:

 1^st five years will be supported by India’s “total grant assistance” of $100 million.

After that IBCA is expected to sustain itself through membership fees, and contributions from bilateral and multilateral institutions and the private sector. However, the proposed move has invited criticism, too.

Membership:

 It will be open to 97 “range” countries, which contain the natural habitat of these big cats, as well as other interested nations, international organisations, etc.

India is the only country in the world to have tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards and cheetahs in the wild. India has all the big cats, except the pumas and jaguars, today.