CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu’s Chief Wildlife Warden and field directors of all five tiger reserves in the state have been invited to attend the first summit of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), scheduled to be held in New Delhi on June 1 and 2.
The summit, organised under the aegis of the Government of India and the IBCA, is expected to bring together global leaders, conservation experts, scientists and policymakers from nearly 95 big cat range countries.
“We have received the invitation for the summit. The matter will be placed before the state government for necessary permission. Field directors of tiger reserves are also expected to participate,” said Chief Wildlife Warden Rakesh Kumar Dogra.
Tamil Nadu, regarded as one of the leading states in tiger conservation, has five notified tiger reserves: Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam, Anamalai, Kalakad Mundanthurai and Srivilliputhur Megamalai.
According to the latest All India Tiger Estimation, Tamil Nadu’s tiger population increased from 264 in 2018 to 306 in 2022, reflecting gains achieved through habitat protection, anti-poaching measures, corridor management and scientific monitoring. Officials said the state’s steady rise in tiger numbers has made it a key contributor to India’s overall conservation success story.
The International Big Cat Alliance, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2023, seeks to strengthen global cooperation for the conservation of seven major big cat species — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma.
The summit will culminate in the adoption of the proposed ‘Delhi Declaration on Big Cat Conservation’, aimed at strengthening international collaboration on biodiversity protection, climate resilience and sustainable development.
Officials said discussions at the summit would focus on habitat restoration, mitigation of human-wildlife conflict, ecological connectivity, wildlife crime control and climate-linked threats to big cat habitats. The event is also expected to showcase India’s conservation models, including Project Tiger and Project Lion, as examples of long-term species recovery initiatives.