Tiger conservation

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) has played a crucial role in improving international efforts for tiger conservation. CITES is an international governance network employing tools and measures which adapt and become more efficient with time.^[1] One measure specifically aimed at protecting the tiger is visible in the network’s efforts to ban the trade of tigers or tiger derivatives.^[1] CITES members have agreed to adhere to this international trade ban; once a member states ratifies and implements CITES it bans such trade within its national borders.^[2]

The CITES Secretariat is administrated by the UNEP^[3] which works closely with NGOs such as The Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in Commerce (TRAFFIC) to assist member states with the implementation of the convention. States are provided with training and information about requirements (when necessary), and their progress and compliance are monitored and evaluated.^[3][4]

In order for CITES to work effectively it requires the involvement of institutions, NGOs, civil society and member states: especially Asian tiger range member countries. The Tiger Range Countries (TRC) – countries where tigers still roam free – are: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam and North-Korea. Whilst there have been no recent tigers sightings in North-Korea,^[5] it is the only country listed which has not ratified CITES.^[6]

The 13 TRC who are CITES member states recently held a conference in Russia and jointly vowed to double the estimated number of tigers left in the wild (3200).^[7][8] Poaching, however, remains a very significant problem in all 13 TRC, despite the implementation of CITES regulations within their borders.^[7]

In the 15th CITES conference held in Doha, Qatar in March 2010 all party members agreed to stricter agreements between members states to protect the tiger.^[8] However the United Nations warned that tigers are still at risk of becoming extinct as members states are currently failing to clamp down hard on the illegal trade of tigers and tiger derivatives within their borders.^[9]

Although CITES has been successful in curbing this illegal trade, CITES as an international institution relies on member states to effectively implement conventions within their national borders. The quality of such implementation varies significantly within member states.^[10][11] For example, Thailand implemented CITES policies to a very high standard but the illegal tiger trade is still rife within this country.^[12] A governance structure such as CITES is powerless to control issues such as poaching unless it has the full cooperation of all actors, including the state.

Another reason why CITES seems to be failing could be ascribed to the lucrative nature of the tiger trade. The World Bank estimates that the illegal international trade of wildlife on the black market is worth an estimated $10bn per year.^[9] By selling one tiger skeleton, a poacher could make an amount equal to what some labourer would earn in 10 years.^[13]

It seems that unless the problem of global social equality is resolved, the tiger will remain at risk of being poached and, as such, of becoming extinct.

Comparison in distribution historically and 2006

Project Tiger, started in 1972, is a major effort to conserve the tiger and its habitats in India.^[14] At the turn of the 20th century, one estimate of the tiger population in India placed the figure at 40,000, yet an Indian tiger census conducted in 1972 revealed the existence of only 1827 tigers. Various pressures in the later part of the 20th century led to the progressive decline of wilderness resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats. At the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) General Assembly meeting in Delhi in 1969, serious concern was voiced about the threat to several species of wildlife, and the shrinkage of wilderness in the India from poaching. In 1970, a national ban on tiger hunting was imposed, and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. The framework was then set to formulate a project for tiger conservation with an ecological approach.

Launched on 1 April 1973, Project Tiger has become one of the most successful conservation ventures in modern history. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially-constituted 'tiger reserves', which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within India. It strives to maintain viable tiger populations in their natural environment. Today, there are 27 Project Tiger wildlife reserves in India, covering an area of 37,761 km².

At the Kalachakra Tibetan Buddhist festival in India in January 2006, the Dalai Lama preached a ruling against using, selling, or buying wild animals, their products, or derivatives. When Tibetan pilgrims returned to Tibet afterwards, his words resulted in the widespread destruction by Tibetans of their wild animal skins, including tiger and leopard skins used as ornamental garments.^[15][16]

See also

• Tiger hunting

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Dickson, B. (2002). International conservation treaties, poverty and development: The case of CITES. ODI Natural Resource Perspectives, 74(January), 4.
2. ^ CITES. (2011). http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/parties/index.shtml
3. ^ ^{a b} CITES. (2011). http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/sec/index.shtml
4. ^ Gemmill, B. and Bamidele-Izu, A. (2010). The Role of NGOs and Civil Society in Global Environmental Governance http://environment.research.yale.edu/documents/downloads/a-g/gemmill.pdf (Accessed 20 March 2011).
5. ^ IUCN Redlist (2011). http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/15955/0
6. ^ CITES (2011). http://www.cites.org/eng/disc/parties/alphabet.shtml
7. ^ ^{a b} WWF. (2010). http://wwf.panda.org/?199237/Year-of-the-Tiger-ends-with-roadmap-to-save-species (Accessed 23 March 2011).
8. ^ ^{a b} WWF. (2010). http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/tigers/index.html (Accessed 20 March 2011).
9. ^ ^{a b} Black, R. (2010). Tiger decline is 'sign of world's failure'. BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8568035.stm
10. ^ TRAFFIC. (1997). Tiger Progress? The Response to CITES Resolution Conf. 9.13. Traffic International, Cambridge.
11. ^ TRAFFIC. (1997). Rhinoceros Horn and Tiger Bone in China: An Investigation of Trade Since the 1993 Ban. Traffic International, Cambridge.
12. ^ WWF. (2010). http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/laos/?197018/The-Big-Cat-Trade-in-Myanmar-and-Thailand (Accessed 23 March 2011).
13. ^ Seaworld.org http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/info-books/tiger/longevity.htm (Accessed 28 March 2011)
14. ^ Project Tiger Accessed Feb, 2007
15. ^ Denyer, Simon (6 March 2006). "Dalai Lama offers Indian tigers a lifeline". IOL SciTech. http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/dalai-lama-offers-indian-tigers-a-lifeline-1.268379. Retrieved 23 September 2011. 
16. ^ "Dalai Lama campaigns for wildlife". BBC. 2005-04-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4415929.stm. Retrieved 2011-09-23.