Bonn / St. Petersburg,
24 November 2010 - At the International
Tiger Forum, Governments of 13 countries
that host tiger populations agreed to double
tiger numbers by
2022 and endorsed the St. Petersburg Declaration
in a historic effort to save the Asian big
cat from extinction.
Actions will focus on
protecting the tiger's habitat, addressing
poaching, illegal trade and providing the
financial resources for this emergency plan.
Over the last century,
tiger numbers have plummeted from about
100,000 to less than 3,500 tigers in the
wild today. Three sub-species of tigers
have already completely disappeared and
the fate of the other six is at stake. The
last decade alone has seen a decline of
almost 40 per cent in tiger numbers and
habitat as a result of human-made threats,
such as, in particular, habitat loss, illegal
wildlife trade and poaching and human-tiger
conflicts.
Executive Secretary,
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema of the Convention
on Migratory Species (CMS) Secretariat stressed:
"Safeguarding international migration
corridors and trans-border habitats will
be crucial for global efforts to save the
tiger. The Convention on Migratory Species
is unique in that it can provide a framework
to protect not only the animal, but also
its habitat."
Global Tiger Recovery
Program
In order to stop its
devastating decline, the 13 countries have
agreed to strengthen international collaboration
to protect the majestic Asian wild cat.
Scientific monitoring
will be improved to help restore the species'
habitats and its trans-boundary corridors.
Halting poaching and illegal trade of tigers
and tiger products is a core component of
the conservation strategy.
Creating incentives
for local people to protect tigers and strengthening
wildlife law enforcement and legislation
will be vital to achieve the ambitious St.
Petersburg targets. It is hoped that conflicts
occurring between tigers and local communities
will be reduced by involving local people
more actively in biodiversity protection.
The Tiger has played
a very important role in Asian nature and
culture for centuries. Almost half of the
world's population -3.3 billion people-
live in the countries of the tiger's distribution
range in Asia. Therefore immediate and effective
steps are necessary to create an economic
and ecological balance matching the interests
of these states towards a safe future for
the tiger.
Tigers being on top of
the food chain have an important umbrella
function to maintain the biodiversity of
its habitat. As such they maintain the biodiversity
of the region, contribute to a healthy ecosystem
and generate tourist revenue for economies
through tiger watching and safaris.
The Terai Arc Landscape
between India and Nepal shows how conservation
efforts to save the tiger have also resulted
in increased benefits for the endangered
rhino and other animals in the region. The
ecosystems in these countries support tigers,
their prey and a vast amount of biodiversity.
Any efforts to conserve the tiger as an
umbrella species will also ensure that the
rich biodiversity of these areas is protected.
Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand
and Vietnam are the tiger range countries
that have committed towards implementing
the Global Tiger Recovery Program.
"This concerted
effort is not only a vital part of maintaining
biodiversity and key environmental services.
People will also benefit from improved access
to these resources. The Convention on Migratory
Species stands ready to give whatever help
it can to assist global efforts to save
tigers in the wild," said CMS Ambassador
Stanley Johnson at the Tiger Summit.
The St. Petersburg Declaration
The Global Tiger Recovery
Program, which is the strategic plan envisaged
by the St. Petersburg Declaration, has been
adopted by countries and a roadmap for post-summit
action is also being discussed. Deliberations
regarding the development of an institutional
structure to implement the aims and objectives
of the Declaration and its Recovery Program
are also underway.
The objectives of the
St. Petersburg Declaration, which acknowledges
the role of the CMS and other biodiversity-related
conventions such as the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and
the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD),
include exploring new financing mechanisms
under the United Nations Collaborative initiative
on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation (REDD) in developing
and emerging countries.
The Tiger Summit hosted
by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
and the President of the World Bank, Robert
Zoellick, from 21-24 November in St. Petersburg,
Russia, is the result of years of efforts
by the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI). In
a last-ditch effort to save the tiger, the
World Bank together with the GTI, an alliance
of governments, international agencies and
civil society, the scientific community,
UN agencies and NGOs have contributed to
improving global biodiversity management
practices through better conservation of
wild tigers and their habitats.
Notes to Editors:
The Convention on the
Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild
Animals (UNEP/CMS), also known as the Bonn
Convention, works for the conservation of
a wide array of endangered migratory animals
worldwide through the negotiation and implementation
of agreements and action plans. At present,
114 countries are parties to the Convention.
(www.cms.int)
At the 9th CMS Conference
of Parties the Scientific Council put a
special focus on tigers and other Asian
Big Cats and highlighted the importance
of taking steps to reverse the rapid decline
of wild tigers. As 20 per cent of tiger
habitat is trans-border, the need for transboundary
co-operation among tiger range countries
is emphasized.
A proposal for listing
the tiger on the CMS Appendices may be submitted
by Bangladesh or India in November 2011
at the 10th Conference of the Parties.
Tiger Conservation Status:
According to the IUCN
Red List, the South China Tiger and the
Sumatra Tiger is Critically Endangered while
the remaining four sub species are Endangered.
The Bali, Caspian and Javan Tiger have already
become extinct.
Tigers are listed on
CITES Appendix I, banning international
trade, and all Tiger range states as well
as countries with consumer markets have
banned domestic trade as well although implementation
has been uneven. At the 14th Conference
of the Parties to CITES, stronger enforcement
measures were called for, as well as an
end to the production of tiger products
from captive tigers.
According to the GTI,
the remaining populations number the following
number of tigers: India 1,200-1650; Indonesia
450-700; Bangladesh 400; Nepal 350; Russia
350; Bhutan 70-80; China 40-50; Cambodia
10-50; Laos 50; Vietnam less than 30; Burma
about 100; Thailand 250-500; Malaysia 300-500.
