The Environment Ministry declared that the country had obtained the membership of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) with the purpose of strengthening the conservation of the endemic "Panthera pardus kotiya" in Sri Lanka and supporting countries internationally to conserve the big cats and their habitats.

Speaking at a media conference held on Monday (11) at the Government Information Department, the subject Minister Dr. Dammika Patabendi said that Sri Lanka joined the Alliance which is mainly led by India, and that the Alliance works in order to conserve seven big cats across the world. "They are the tiger, the lion, the leopard, the snow leopard, the cheetah, the jaguar, and the puma. In Sri Lanka, we have an endemic species, the Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), and conserving this animal and the habitat is needed," he said. He said that not only Sri Lanka but internationally, the big cat family is seeing a threat as their habitats grow lesser. In the same press conference, the Adviser to the Ministry,  Dr. Ravindra Kariyawasam said that in 2008, the World Conservation Congress had declared the Panthera pardus kotiya to be an endangered species. According to him, this species evolved from an African species and had then come to Sri Lanka.

The Alliance was launched by India as a global initiative focused on the conservation and protection of big cats and their habitats across the world. The Alliance currently includes 25 signatory countries and five observer nations.