Overview
- At COP30 in Belem, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced a Global Big Cats Summit to be held in New Delhi in 2026.
- Yadav argued that thriving big cat landscapes strengthen forests, regenerate grasslands, support water systems and store carbon, making their protection core to climate action.
- He urged countries to fold nature-based big-cat landscape measures into upcoming nationally determined contributions under the Paris Agreement.
- India highlighted domestic conservation gains, saying it doubled tiger numbers ahead of target, reported growth in Asiatic lions, and built a comprehensive wildlife database to guide policy.
- The India-led International Big Cat Alliance, covering seven species, is expanding, with reports citing either 17 formally associated nations or 15 members plus two observers, alongside pushes for south–south cooperation, technical support and blended finance.