BTR summit highlights India’s leading role in big cat conservation

Mysuru: International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) director general S P Yadav Monday said India has taken the lead in devising plans to conserve seven big cat species, including the tiger, aiming to ensure the long-term survival of these iconic predators. These initiatives focus on habitat protection, anti-poaching measures, scientific monitoring, and community participation.
After inaugurating the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) – 2nd Executive Course on ‘Capacity Building for Wildlife and Conservation Practitioners', organised by IBCA at Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR), Yadav highlighted India's leadership role in the growth and conservation of seven big cat species, including tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, pumas, and cheetahs. The three-day meet at Bandipur and will next move to Nagarahole Tiger Reserve (NTR) for a two-day session. Yadav said about 24 countries have signed an agreement with India to protect the big cat population. India accounts for about 70% of the world's tiger population and 35% of leopards. India, with its rich biodiversity, is home to five big cat species. The cheetah population in the country has now increased to 35. Foreign representatives, including those involved in forest conservation, researchers, and biologists, are attending the event to learn about India's efforts in wildlife conservation, human-animal conflicts, and anti-poaching measures. This exchange will provide an opportunity to understand effective measures taken for tiger conservation over the past 50 years and share information on strategies adopted by other countries, he said. A total of 39 representatives from 23 countries, including Armenia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Congo, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Panama, Peru, Romania, Russia, Somalia, and Sri Lanka are participating in the meet. Karnataka forest department's achievements in biodiversity conservation and wildlife management, including globally recognised efforts in tiger, leopard, and elephant conservation, will be showcased at the event. Karnataka has the highest elephant and leopard population in India and ranks second in tiger population. The state has demonstrated strong landscape-level planning, corridor protection through legal notification of protected areas, protected area management, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and community engagement. The event is being organised in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Karnataka Forest Department, and the Wildlife Institute of India.