New population estimation figures on wild tiger numbers of India will be unveiled tomorrow here. A 3-Day International Conference on Tiger Conservation, Global Workshop on Implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) and General Assembly of the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) will also begin here tomorrow. India is a key player in the global tiger conservation agenda and has established a leadership position with more than 45,000 sq km area under 39 designated tiger reserves. India is also on a rapid economic growth path, faced with the challenging task of striking a balance between conservation and development. Eliciting the support of communities living in and around tiger reserves is also an imperative for mainstreaming tiger concerns in India at the landscape level with livelihood options to reduce the resource dependency on wildlife habitats.
The conference marks the first follow up of meeting countries that still have wild tigers following November 2010’s tiger summit at St. Petersburg, Russia. The historic Russian summit drew world leaders and produced the groundbreaking Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP), a worldwide plan to bring the species back from the brink of extinction. The GTRP adopted St. Petersburg outlines the priorities for national, regional, and global actions for the next 12 years. The GTRP Implementation workshop will set the stage for the first year actions. Participants from all tiger range countries will present their national priority actions for 2011 and the international partners will outline their support to assist TRCs in their implementation needs. The overall goal is to have an essential on-the-ground impact in tiger conservation and management of tiger ecosystems in 2011.
Objectives of this conference include sharing of the refined methodology and best practices in conserving tigers in India, open the dialog on conservation and infrastructure sector through Smart Green Infrastructure that promises adding value to rather than adversely impacting tiger ecosystems, experience sharing vis-a-vis the implementation of the GTRP/NTRPs across all Tiger Range Countries & launch and financial support to the TRCs, discuss a framework of national tiger and prey monitoring systems through the GTF and plan for the first Annual GTRP Stocktaking meeting in December, 2011.
With sessions on the global programme’s implementation and monitoring scheduled, the conference will serve as an update on its progress, achievements and challenges, detailing the state of the tiger in 2011. Sessions on India’s challenges in achieving conservation and economic development, as well as experiences from the frontlines of tiger conservation are also scheduled. In addition to high-level officials from the 13 countries that still have tigers, the conference is expected to hear from key NGOs and global partners in the GTRP, including the World Bank’s Global Tiger Initiative, the Global Tiger Forum, WWF, WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), the Smithsonian Institute, the wildlife trade network TRAFFIC, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The International Tiger Conference will be followed by a meeting of the General Assembly of the Global Tiger Forum (GTF). The GTF is the only inter-governmental body focused on promoting the conservation of the tiger. Currently, India is the host country for the GTF.
Numbering more than 100,000 at the turn of the last century, tigers have lost more than 97 percent of their population and 94 percent of their home range in just 100 years. They live in increasingly isolated habitats in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viatnam. The Global Tiger Recovery Programme marks the first formalized international initiative to save the species from extinctin.
This conference is an important first step in bringing all 13 tiger range countries together again to build on the Global Tiger Recovery Programme and stop the tiger’s decline. The conference has been hosted by the national Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India and Co-organized and co-sponsored by the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) and Global Tiger Initiative (GTI).
KP/RK
(Release ID :71290)
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