India has invited all United Nations member states to join the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a global platform launched to support the conservation of the seven big cat species.

The Alliance was announced in April 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking 50 years since the launch of Project Tiger—India’s pioneering tiger conservation initiative.

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India also called for integrating the ecosystem valuation , into national planning, which is factoring in the benefits nature provides when making policy decisions.

Taking this message to the global stage, the Indian delegation joined a high-level panel on “Valuing Forest Ecosystems in National Policy and Strategy,” sharing insights from pilot studies in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, and select tiger reserves.

These studies quantified ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water provisioning, and biodiversity conservation using frameworks such as the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA).

Through joint research, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building, IBCA seeks to strengthen conservation of big cats—including tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, pumas, jaguars, and cheetahs—by expanding efforts beyond range countries and helping halt their decline in the wild, according to a press statement.

“India reported a consistent increase in forest and tree cover, now encompassing 25.17% of its geographical area as per the latest India State of Forest Report as a result of key national initiatives like the restoration of land under the Aravalli Green Wall, a 7.86% increase in mangrove cover over the past decade, afforestation of over 1.55 lakh hectares under the Green India Mission, and plantation of 1.4 billion seedlings under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam (Plant4Mother) campaign,” a press statement said.

India also highlighted its significant progress in forest conservation and sustainable forest management, reaffirming its commitment to achieving the Voluntary National Contributions (VNCs) under the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030.

The Indian delegation to UNFF20 was led by Shri Sushil Kumar Awasthi, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.