IBCA delegates arrive in Bandipur for technical sessions, field visits

Delegates from various countries attending the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) Summit arrived at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve on Monday to participate in technical sessions as part of the summit. The sessions will be held from February 9 to 13, and the 39 delegates from 23 countries will also undertake field visits to the Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves.

The technical sessions were inaugurated at Melukamanahalli in Bandipur by IBCA Director General S.P. Yadav.

Addressing the gathering, Dr. Yadav said India has taken a global lead in big cat conservation. He noted that around 70% of the world’s tiger population is found in India and that the country is home to 35% of the global leopard population. Of the seven big cat species, five are found in India, he added.

Earlier, Bandipur Tiger Reserve Director Prabhakaran spoke about the IBCA initiative and outlined details of the technical sessions and field visits.

The summit features sessions on topics including Partnering for Big Cats, collaborative conservation with government, landscape approaches for wildlife conservation, challenges in elephant conservation in India, community stewardship for wildlife conservation, conservation standards for big cats, management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) of tiger reserves in India, human–elephant conflict management, wildlife conservation legislation, and immersive wildlife tourism, among others.

Those present included Retired Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and former Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka, Subhash Malkhede, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Biswajit Mishra, NTCA DIG Vaibhav Mathur, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Manoranjan, Chief Conservator of Forests (Project Tiger) P. Ramesh Kumar, Chamarajanagar Circle Chief Conservator of Forests Malathi Priya, and others.

Senior forest department officials and experts are participating in the sessions and sharing their conservation experiences.