Budget 2026: India to host first-ever Global Big Cat Summit

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in Parliament that India will host the inaugural Global Big Cat Summit this year, under the International Big Cat Alliance. The event will see political leaders, environment ministers and wildlife experts from 95 range countries, including Canada, China, Brazil and the US, converge to discuss collective conservation strategies.

“India established the Big Cat Alliance in 2024. This year we are hosting the first-ever global summit, where leaders from across the world will deliberate on protecting these majestic species,” Sitharaman said.

The alliance, set up through the National Tiger Conservation Authority under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, covers seven big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar and puma. The government has allocated Rs 150 crore for 2023-24 to 2027-28, signalling a long-term commitment to global conservation leadership.

India’s track record speaks volumes. From just 1,800 tigers in 1970, numbers have surged to over 3,600 today, representing 70 per cent of the world’s wild tiger population. The country also protects leopards, snow leopards and has successfully reintroduced cheetahs after decades of absence.

Big cats are more than iconic species. As apex predators, they maintain healthy ecosystems, safeguard forests and grasslands, store carbon, reduce disaster risks and support climate adaptation.

By hosting the summit, India is not just conserving wildlife, it is asserting itself as a hub for global environmental diplomacy, turning its homegrown conservation success into a blueprint for the world.