International Big Cat Alliance
Nature has bestowed us with various charms and means to ensure our survival. However, during the past five decades the greed of humans has touched all limits with nature facing a tough ordeal at our hands.
Similarly, all those species that were connected with nature too had to face threat for their survival which led to adoption of various conservation programmes that is helping the under threat species to flourish and survive.
One such species that faced almost extinction at the hands of humans is the big cats which are found in many countries including India. Since, many initiatives have been taken over the years to ensure their survival; India too took an initiative and announced the formation of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a global initiative to protect seven species of big cats
As of now twenty-four countries have agreed to join the India led initiative however, according to the IBCA website, 12 countries — India, Armenia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Guinea, Liberia, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Somalia and Suriname — are currently members of the alliance.
Notably, the number of tiger reserves in India has increased from 46 in 2014 to 58 at present, reflecting the government’s strong commitment to protect the national animal.
Since the big cats are an apex species, protecting them also means protecting the environment and if the big cat survives, it means the environment and the ecology down the chain are also surviving.
Importantly, IBCA has many issues to address to help it achieve the target of creating a safe environment for the big cat. The IBCA also needs to put in efforts to step up activities for the protection of the snow leopard which is witnessing diminishing numbers since many years now.
Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh too have the distinction of providing home to this elusive and shy big cat as it also needs protection because of the threats it faces.
This becomes all the more important as the count of this species of the big cats is witnessing little numbers. As part of the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Programme, it has come to light that the total count of this species is around 718.
In the first-ever scientific exercise conducted between 2019-2023 to know the numbers, that also sheds light on the elusive species’ population and distribution, a total of 241 unique snow leopards have been photographed.
The comprehensive data analysis that was formulated after the survey mentioned the snow leopard population in various states and union territories with 477 in Ladakh, 124 in Uttarakhand, 51 in Himachal Pradesh, 36 in Arunachal Pradesh, 21 in Sikkim, and mere nine in Jammu and Kashmir.
The initiative covered over 70 percent of the potential snow leopard range in the country, spanning approximately 1.20 lakh sq km of crucial habitat across the trans-Himalayan region, including Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir as well as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
IBCA can surely prove to be a saviour for the big cat family including the snow leopard which has up-till now witnessed no such protection and conservation programme.
