Ahead of the first International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) summit to be held in Delhi on June 1-2, Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, in an interview, admitted that human-wildlife interactions are a challenge in “growing economies and densely populated landscapes”, even as he shared how India’s “coexistence-based management” approach is addressing the issue while protecting tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard and cheetah. IBCA, headquartered in Delhi, was launched at India’s behest with the aim of conserving seven big cats — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma – in coordination with other countries. Except for Jaguar and Puma, India is home to five big cats. Excerpts:Have India’s rising big cat numbers matched the pace of habitat expansion? Isn’t the country’s existing approach simply crowding predators into shrinking landscapes, leading to wider human-wildlife conflict?India’s conservation approach is not limited to increasing big cat numbers alone; equal emphasis is being placed on habitat expansion, corridor connectivity, and landscape-level conservation. Over the last decade, India has expanded its network of protected areas, tiger reserves, eco-sensitive zones, and wildlife corridors while also strengthening habitat restoration and prey-base management. Importantly, nearly one-third of India’s tigers are now found outside core tiger reserves, which reflects improved landscape connectivity and dispersal across larger ecosystems. India’s focus today is on creating connected and resilient landscapes through corridor protection, wildlife-friendly infrastructure, community participation, and coexistence-based management approaches.Human-wildlife interactions are indeed a challenge in growing economies and densely populated landscapes, but India has adopted proactive measures such as early warning systems, rapid response teams, compensation mechanisms, and habitat management to address them. The broader objective is to ensure that conservation and development progress together in a balanced and sustainable manner.Are India’s conservation successes creating merely a ‘numbers narrative’ while overlooking genetic diversity, ecosystem health and coexistence indicators?India’s conservation approach has always gone far beyond a mere ‘numbers narrative’. Population recovery is important, but our broader focus is on securing healthy ecosystems, maintaining genetic diversity, strengthening habitat connectivity, and promoting long-term coexistence of people and wildlife. Today, India is increasingly adopting landscape-level conservation approaches that emphasize wildlife corridors, gene flow, prey-base management, ecosystem health, and climate resilience. Importantly, India has expanded protected areas, tiger reserves, and corridor conservation initiatives to maintain ecological connectivity and reduce isolation of wildlife populations.Equally important is coexistence. India’s conservation model recognizes that wildlife conservation in a densely populated country can succeed only through community participation, livelihood support, eco-development, and conflict mitigation measures. The success of India’s conservation efforts lies precisely in balancing ecological security with human well-being in shared landscapes.Is India becoming over-dependent on tiger-centric conservation at the cost of other big cats?It is absolutely incorrect to say this. India is home to five out of the world’s seven big cats. India’s wildlife conservation approach is holistic and multi-species in nature. While Project Tiger has been globally recognized for its success, India has simultaneously launched and strengthened several other flagship initiatives for different big cats and vulnerable species.Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Project Lion has been initiated for long-term conservation of Asiatic lions through habitat expansion, wildlife health management, and coexistence strategies. Project Cheetah represents the world’s first intercontinental translocation and reintroduction of a large carnivore, aimed at restoring grassland ecosystems.India has also significantly strengthened snow leopard conservation through the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India, community-based conservation, and high-altitude ecosystem protection. Leopard conservation is being addressed through landscape-level management, conflict mitigation, rescue centres, and monitoring initiatives across several states.Our broader approach is ecosystem-centric, acknowledging that conserving our five big cats as flagship species helps secure biodiversity, ecological connectivity, and climate resilience across landscapes. I want to highlight here that not just big cats, our conservation efforts also carry within its ambit sloth bear, gharial and dolphins. We have also made significant strides in protecting the endangered species of Great Indian Bustard and Amur Falcons.How can the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) ensure actionable cross-border cooperation? Will India push for a South Asian transboundary big cat conservation framework with Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar?The IBCA, initiated by PM Narendra Modi, can play a pivotal role in ensuring actionable cross-border cooperation by creating structured mechanisms for knowledge exchange, dissemination of best practices and institutional partnerships among range countries. Big cats do not recognize geopolitical boundaries, and therefore conservation efforts must increasingly adopt landscape-level and transboundary approaches.India already has several bilateral and regional cooperation mechanisms with neighbouring countries. Recently, India and Nepal signed an MoU on forests, wildlife, biodiversity conservation. India also has long standing cooperation frameworks on tiger conservation with Bhutan and Bangladesh, while technical collaborations and dialogue with Myanmar are continuing in areas of tiger monitoring and habitat management.Going forward, IBCA provides an important umbrella platform through which South Asian countries can further strengthen cooperation on landscape conservation, monitoring, and habitat management in shared ecosystems.What lessons have emerged from Project Cheetah in terms of habitat suitability, prey base, and long-term ecological viability in the presence of other big cats, mainly tigers, in huge numbers?Project Cheetah has generated important management lessons on habitat restoration, prey-base management, and long-term ecological planning. The project has reaffirmed that successful reintroduction requires not only suitable habitat and adequate prey density, but also long-term landscape connectivity and adaptive management. Kuno National Park and Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary were selected after extensive assessment of habitat suitability, prey availability, and low anthropogenic pressure.The project has also highlighted the importance of restoring grassland and open forest ecosystems. India’s broader approach is landscape-based, where different big cats occupy different ecological niches. Tigers, leopards, and cheetahs can coexist across larger landscapes with proper habitat management, prey augmentation, and monitoring. Importantly, Project Cheetah is being implemented through a phased and science-driven approach with continuous monitoring and adaptive management to ensure long-term ecological viability and coexistence within India’s diverse ecosystems.
