In 2010, 13 countries committed to doubling big cat numbers.
A survey seeking an information baseline has sent out an urgent wake-up call,
even though India has not done too badly
In November 2010, the first “Tiger Summit” in St Petersburg,
Russia, endorsed a Global Tiger Recovery Programme aimed at reversing the rapid
decline of tigers, and doubling their numbers by 2022. India was one of the 13
tiger range countries that participated in the gathering.
A rapid survey across 112 tiger conservation areas in 11
range countries has now shown that at least a third of these areas are at
severe risk of losing their tigers due to poor management. Three of the 13
countries, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia have lost all their tigers.
The survey was carried out by Conservation Assured | Tiger
Standards (CA | TS) support group members, experts, and government officials.
The objective of the survey was to provide a baseline of
information against which to measure progress in the future. “The results show
whether or not governments are investing sufficient funds into tiger
conservation. The information will assist the CA | TS partnership (a wide range
of governments and funding bodies) in setting priorities for the most effective
conservation investment, capacity building and training,” says the survey
report.
Three-quarters of the surveyed sites had insufficient staff
and lacked adequate management infrastructure, a crippling blow to efforts to
stop poaching, manage community relations, and ensure safe havens for tigers
and other wildlife. Only 16 of 112 sites had intelligence-driven anti-poaching
processes in place.
The results are a “wake-up call” for all tiger range
governments and stakeholders.
No comments:
Post a Comment