By Lia Avagyan
Armenia will join world leaders and conservation experts in New Delhi on June 1 for the first Global Summit of Heads of State and Government of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), a gathering aimed at strengthening international cooperation to protect endangered big cats and their habitats.
For Armenia, the summit highlights the fragile survival of one of the country’s rarest animals — the Caucasian leopard, also known as the Persian leopard.
The summit, organized by India and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), is expected to bring together governments, scientists, conservation groups, and development organizations from across the world. Participants are expected to adopt the first “Delhi Declaration” on big cat conservation, outlining shared goals for biodiversity protection and habitat preservation.
India launched the alliance in 2023 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, building on the country’s decades-long Project Tiger conservation efforts. Armenia joined the alliance in 2025, and its parliament ratified the framework agreement earlier this year.
The IBCA focuses on seven major big cat species — tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma — and aims to improve international cooperation on conservation funding, scientific research, and habitat protection.
While Armenia is far from the tropical landscapes often associated with big cats, its rugged southern mountains remain one of the last habitats of the Caucasian leopard in the South Caucasus. The animal has become both a conservation symbol and a reminder of the environmental pressures facing the region.
Environmental groups estimate that only around 10 to 15 leopards were living in Armenia in the early 2010s. The species is listed as endangered by the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, and experts say its long-term survival remains uncertain.
The leopard’s range in Armenia stretches from the Khosrov Forest State Reserve to areas bordering Iran. In recent years, camera traps have repeatedly captured rare footage of the elusive predator in protected areas such as Khosrov Forest Reserve, Shikahogh State Reserve, and Arevik National Park.
Several leopard sightings have drawn national attention over the past decade. In 2018, camera traps in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge recorded a leopard moving through the area, offering one of the clearest recent confirmations of the species’ presence in Armenia. Another sighting was recorded in Khosrov Forest Reserve in 2019, while conservation groups have continued reporting occasional camera-trap detections in southern Armenia in subsequent years.
But significant threats remain. Conservationists warn that poaching, habitat fragmentation, mining projects, road construction and declining prey populations continue to put pressure on the species across the region.
Organizers of the New Delhi summit say discussions will focus not only on wildlife protection, but also on the broader links between biodiversity, climate resilience and sustainable development. Topics are expected to include habitat restoration, coexistence between wildlife and local communities, conservation financing and new technologies for monitoring endangered species.
India is home to a remarkable diversity of wild cats and currently has 15 known feline species, more than any other country in the world. These include iconic big cats such as the Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, Indian leopard and snow leopard, alongside smaller species like the fishing cat, clouded leopard, jungle cat, rusty-spotted cat and caracal. Conservationists often describe India as one of the world’s most important habitats for wild cat conservation because of its wide range of ecosystems, from Himalayan mountains and deserts to forests, wetlands and tropical grasslands.
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