At COP30, India calls for global cooperation to protect big cats

India has called for renewed global cooperation to protect big cats and their habitats at the ongoing climate summit in Belem, Brazil.

Addressing a high-level ministerial meeting on the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) at COP30, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav directly linked tiger conservation to climate mitigation and underscored that wildlife conservation is climate action in its most natural form.

He called for renewed global cooperation to protect tigers, lions, leopards and jaguars and their habitats as part of integrated climate and biodiversity action. He noted that these species are apex predators, regulators of ecological balance and guardians of ecosystem health.

"Where Panthera species (lion, tiger, jaguar and leopard) thrive, forests are healthier, grasslands are regenerated, water systems function, and carbon is stored efficiently in living landscapes. Declines in Panthera populations destabilise ecosystems, weaken resilience to climate change and destroy natural carbon sinks,” Yadav said.

Describing 'big cat landscapes' as 'nature-based climate solutions,' the minister called for a central place for nature-based climate action in future national development goals (NDCs).

"What we often call 'wildlife conservation' is actually climate action in its most natural form. Conserving big cat landscapes directly strengthens carbon sequestration, watershed protection, disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation and sustainable livelihoods,” he said.

Yadav briefed the audience on India's role as home to five of the world's seven big cat species and highlighted the country's key conservation successes.

"India has doubled its tiger population ahead of target deadlines, and our Asiatic lion population is steadily increasing," he said.

He also announced that India would host the Global Tiger Summit in New Delhi in 2026.

The minister said 17 countries have formally joined the IBCA and more than 30 countries have expressed their desire to join the alliance.

Calling for global cooperation, Yadav said as the world is going through a period of ecological realignment it is important that countries cooperate and not compete.

Addressing the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT) Industry Leaders Roundtable on the sidelines of COP30, he also emphasised India's commitment to collaborative, technology-driven and sustainable industrial transitions under the Paris Agreement.

LeadIT is a global initiative launched by Sweden and India in 2019 to help energy-intensive industries transition to low-carbon pathways.

"As the fourth largest economy and the fastest-growing major economy, India has been successful in decoupling its growth from emissions," he said, addingg that India has reduced its GDP emissions intensity by 36 per cent between 2005 and 2020, reflecting the country's commitment to reconciling growth with environmental sustainability.