India will host the first international summit focused on big cat conservation this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced while presenting the Union Budget 2026 in Parliament. The event will be organised by the International Big Cat Alliance and is expected to bring together leaders and ministers from 95 range countries to discuss collaborative conservation strategies.
The summit, scheduled in New Delhi, will focus on strengthening global cooperation, policy frameworks and knowledge-sharing to protect big cats and their habitats. The alliance, launched by Narendra Modi in 2023 and formalised as a treaty-based organisation in 2025, aims to support conservation across borders.
Big cats commonly include species such as tigers, lions, leopards, jaguars and snow leopards, with cheetahs often part of broader conservation discussions. The initiative highlights India’s growing role in wildlife diplomacy while reinforcing conservation tourism and ecosystem protection across key habitats.
