What WWF-India is doing to save the tiger?

At the turn of the 20th century, according to sources, India had an estimated 40,000 tigers in the wild. In 2002, based on pug mark census, this number was 3,642. As per the monitoring exercise by Wildlife Institute of India in association with National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India using camera traps, in 2008 we were left with only 1,411 tigers. This number is so small that they will be gone soon if we don’t wake up to the crisis.

WWF-India aims for a strategic and focused approach in its tiger conservation efforts. Our goal is to restore, maintain and protect tigers as well as their habitat and prey base in important tiger landscapes in India.

The objectives are to:

• Protect, restore corridors to ensure connectivity between tiger habitats while ensuring that human-tiger conflicts are reduced.
• Reduce pressures on the tiger habitats by promoting alternative livelihoods for local communities in and around tiger habitats.
• Create incentives for local communities as well as state and regional government and opinion-makers to support tiger conservation.
• Enhance capacities of the Forest Department to control poaching of tigers and prey species.
• Provide policy inputs at state and central levels to ensure effective measures for conservation of tigers and their habitats.
• Promote the political will as well as popular support within all sectors of society for tiger conservation.

What you can do to save the tiger?

The tiger is not just a charismatic species. It’s not just a wild animal living in some forest either. The tiger is a unique animal which plays a pivotal role in the health and diversity of an ecosystem. It is a top predator and is at the apex of the food chain and keeps the population of wild ungulates in check, thereby maintaining the balance between prey herbivores and the vegetation upon which they feed. Therefore the presence of tigers in the forest is an indicator of the well being of the ecosystem. The extinction of this top predator is an indication that its ecosystem is not sufficiently protected, and neither would it exist for long thereafter.

If the tigers go extinct, the entire system would collapse. For e.g. when the Dodos went extinct in Mauritius, one species of Acacia tree stopped regenerating completely. So when a species goes extinct, it leaves behind a scar, which affects the entire ecosystem. Another reason why we need to save the tiger is that our forests are water catchment areas.

When we protect one tiger, we protect about a 100 sq. km of area and thus save other species living in its habitat. Therefore, it’s not just about saving a beautiful animal. It is about making sure that we live a little longer as the forests are known to provide ecological services like clean air, water, pollination, temperature regulation etc. This way, our planet can still be home to our children.

Spread the word: Go out loud and tell others that tigers are dying and that they need our help. You can form forums (or join existing ones) on the web for discussions and exchange views on tiger conservation. Reach school going children. WWF can help you in this regard.

Be a responsible tourist: The wilderness is to be experienced and not to be disturbed and polluted. Follow the forest department guidelines when visiting any wilderness area, tiger reserve in particular. As the saying goes ‘Don’t leave thing anything behind except foot steps, and don’t take anything except memories.’

Write to the policy makers: If you are really concerned and feel that more needs to be done for tiger conservation, then write polite letters to the decision makers - the Prime Minister, the Minister for Environment and Forests or even your local MP.

Informing the nearest police station: If you know of any information on poaching or trade of illegal wildlife. You can also contact TRAFFIC- an organisation fighting the powerful poachers and pass on the information to them.

Reducing pressure on natural resources: By reducing the use of products derived from forests, such as timber and paper.

THE OFFICIAL REPORT SHOWING THE RESULT

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India’s Tigers at Risk- Estimation Confirms

The long-awaited India's Tiger Census, released yesterday by the government of India, shows the country more at risk of losing its national symbol to poaching and habitat loss, WWF-India said yesterday. WWF commended the Indian government for its scientific integrity, and for sharing with the world the harsh truth of the crisis facing the tiger.

The census, conducted in 2006/ 2007 estimates an Indian tiger population of between 1165 and 1657 tigers. But it can be safely assumed that the current estimation is more accurate than the ones undertaken earlier, which showed inflated tiger numbers than what actually existed on the ground.

WWF complimented the Indian government’s National Tiger Conservation Authority for its decision to undertake a scientific assessment of tiger population through an independent research agency, the Wildlife Institute of India which has resulted in producing the most reliable picture yet of the state of the Indian tiger. This is the most complete census ever undertaken of tigers in India, or indeed of wild tigers anywhere else in the world.

“These estimates are distressingly low, but at least we now have better habitat and population data than ever before and we can intervene more strategically and more effectively to help ensure that tiger populations recover, and that India can maintain its national symbol.” said Sujoy Banerjee, Director, Species Conservation, WWF-India.

"It is also amply clear that the tiger numbers are at the threshold, and if the numbers go down any further, then recovery may not be possible at all. The time has come for the government and all other institutions and agencies to show serious commitment to tiger conservation if at all we wish to see tiger in the wild in India in the future" he added.

Tigers are threatened by a combination of poaching, habitat loss from development, the loss of corridors between areas and retaliatory killing of tigers for preying on cattle or attacking humans. The existence of international markets for illegal tiger parts in spite of the fact that the countries where majority of illegal trade in wildlife takes place are signatories to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is indeed a matter of grave concern.

“However, we are glad that the areas where WWF is deeply involved in tiger conservation are among the areas identified as having the best prospects for tigers.”

In India, WWF is working in three landscapes with focus on tiger conservation which are encompassing the foothills of the Himalayas in neighbouring Nepal, the central part of India and the Sunderbans adjoining Bangladesh. The areas identified as having high probability of long term persistence by themselves such as Corbett, Kanha, and Sunderbans are located in the landscapes in which WWF has its activities.

WWF is working at the grassroots level in these landscapes by supporting the forest department for better protection of tigers, providing habitat management initiatives for better management of prey populations, curbing poaching by developing informer networks, building capacities of staff and equipping them to execute their duties more efficiently in the field, and reducing the human-tiger conflict to nullify chances of retaliatory killings of tiger or its prey. Above all, WWF is working very closely with local communities to reduce their pressures on the forest resources on one hand, while providing them with better livelihood opportunities to help them become “partners in conservation” .

“It is of great concern that some reserves appear to have lost their tigers, pointing to a clear need to upgrade and maintain the general level of protection offered in reserves, but apart from this, the matter of real concern is the tigers outside the Tiger Reserves, National Parks and Sanctuaries. If attention is not paid to their conservation we will lose them altogether” said Banerjee. “The continued threat from poaching and illegal trade in tiger parts must be met with enhanced enforcement efforts.”

WWF-India welcomed the government initiatives, also announced to increase financial assistance for tiger conservation, both within and outside protected areas. It also applauded this month’s establishment of the eight nation South Asia Wildlife Trade Initiative (SAWTI) as the beginning of an effective co-operation on organized criminal networks engaged in wildlife trafficking. WWF hopes that the newly formed Wildlife Crime Control Bureau will also start showing results which will of immense value for tiger conservation in India.

HARSH TRUTH !