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13 Countries Convene in an Effort to Save Asia’s Wild Tigers
Image Source: Flickr. By: Keven Law.
If you’ve been keeping up with all the tiger news coming out lately, then you are probably aware that they face a crisis situation; especially those throughout Asia.
In an effort to help save the tigers, 13 countries are currently convening at the first Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation. Their aim is to convince other countries to pledge to help the tigers, by setting population targets to help increase their numbers and also providing more funds towards tiger conservation efforts. The 13 countries involved with this meeting are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. Once the pledges are made on the matter, they will be finalized by heads of state in another meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, in September.
In a video message to the 180 delegates that are to be involved with the event, World Bank President, Robert Zoellick, stated:
“There will be no room left for tigers and other wildlife in Asia without a more responsible and sustainable program for economic growth and infrastructure. The tiger may be only one species, but the tigers’ plight highlights the biodiversity crisis in Asia.”
The conference is being organized by the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) and Thailand. GTI was formed in 2008 by the combined efforts of the Smithsonian Institute, World Bank, and about 40 other conservation groups. Their hope is to double tiger numbers within the next 12 years. Thailand’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Suwit Khunkitti, declared that the time has come for his fellow ministers to stick to “bold commitments and actions so that we can collectively turn the tide of extinction on the tiger”.
Know that the tiger population has dropped immensely since the turn of the 20th century. Only a hundred years ago, their numbers were as great as 100,000. Now, they are down to less than 3,600—that’s less than 4% left from their population 100 years ago. And it’s all thanks to humans. Humans poach and sell live tigers, or tiger parts, illegally. Humans encroach upon and destroy the tigers’ habitat. Humans hunt the tigers’ prey and thus, leave the tigers without enough food for themselves.
World Bank believes that the countries in question must minimize the impact of roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects on tiger habitat. They also state that the countries need to better train their forest rangers and also reduce corruption that has run rampant through government agencies responsible for running national parks, reserves, and so forth.
Director of the Global Tiger Initiative, Keshav Varma, made one thing clear:
“Corruption has been rampant and all pervasive in some of the countries as far as forest management is concerned. Corruption is gradually and persistently nibbling away at our natural resources. The politics of money is drowning out the weak voices of the tiger and the poor.”
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: 13 countries, conference, Global Tiger Initiative, meeting, Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation, tigers, World Bank
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