Mysore/Mysuru: Soumitra Dasgupta, Director (Programme), International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), New Delhi, has observed that the increase in population of tigers, leopards and other animals belonging to the family of big cats, has helped in the conservation of forest resources.

He was delivering the valedictory address during the two-day seminar on the topic ‘Roaring Forward: Effective Actions For Big Cat Conservation’ organised on account of Global Tiger Day-2024, at Sri Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens (Mysuru Zoo), on Tuesday.

Apart from the big cats, the increase in population of elephants, rhinoceros have also come in handy in the conservation of forests. The collective efforts of Forest Department officials and the local community should also be taken into count, for saving the bio-diversity on the earth, said Dasgupta.

 “With the presence of big cats, the forests will be rich in flora and fauna, while several initiatives have been taken up for the conservation of big cat species. The IBCA was founded with the core intention of conservation of-Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, South American Jaguar and Puma of North America. Already, 21 countries are the signatories of IBCA and have consented to implement the policies chalked out for the conservation of big cats,” explained Dasgupta.

Following the increase in density of wild animals, there has been a rise in man-animal conflicts too.  To address the particular issue, the coordinated efforts are vital. In addition to this, the action and implementation of policies by the Government for the conservation of forests also hold the key. 70 percent of forest cover in the country has turned into a tiger habitat, he said.

He asserted that initially we had failed to analyse the rise in global warming, but now it has been the topic of discussion all over the world. If we don’t intensify effort towards addressing the effects of global warming, the forest resources face the threat of peril in the next 100 years. It will also pose a challenge to our life, that calls for the conservation of wild resources, with emphasis on saving big cats.

A documentary titled ‘Wild Cats Of India’ was also screened on the occasion.

Dr. Qamar Qureshi, Scientist from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dr. Sunil Panwar, Member Secretary, Zoo Authority of Karnataka, Dr. Mewa Singh, Conservation Biologist and D. Mahesh Kumar, Executive Director, Mysuru Zoo were present.