Saudi Arabia will soon join the India led International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), according to officials in India’s Environment Ministry.
Once spread out widely across the mountains of the Arabian-peninsula in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman and Yemen, Arabian leopards are currently on the brink of extinction.
India will host the IBCA summit in New Delhi, from June 1-2, with a focus on the conservation of seven big cat species-tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma and their ecosystem.
Of the seven big cat species, India is the only country which has five species.
India also sees the opportunity in global South-South cooperation. “Out of 95 countries, 92 countries are in the Global South. All these nations will make a statement on big cat conservation besides how they see the future of IBCA,” an official from the environment ministry said.
Currently, there are 25 signatory countries and five observer countries as part of the IBCA.
Anchored around seven pillars, IBCA Summit 2026 aims to strengthen global and trans-boundary cooperation on big cat conservation, facilitate exchange of best practices, scientific knowledge and technological innovations, promote policy and institutional synergy, mobilise resources and partnerships in wildlife conservation.
IBCA was formally introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in April 2023 and subsequently established by the Government in March 2024, following Cabinet approval. IBCA became fully operational in February 2025.
The summit will be presided over by Modi. The Delhi Declaration will be a key outcome of the IBCA, which will bring together world leaders, experts and partners to discuss the future of big cat conservation.
The summit will serve as a high-level platform for heads of state, ministers, representatives of government, senior policymakers, scientists, conservation practitioners and international/national conservation organisations to engage in dialogue on conservation challenges.
