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GLOBAL TIGER FORUM IS AN INTER-GOVERNMENTALAND INTERNAL BODY FOR THE CONSERVATION OFTHE TIGER IN THE WILD
GGLLOOBBAALL TTIIGGEERR FFOORRUUMM NNEEWWSSVolume 4 No 9 June 2011
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GLOBAL TIGER FORUM AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL AND INTERNAL BODYFOR THE CONSERVATION OF THE TIGER IN THE WILD
Volume 4 No 9 June 2011
Edited byS P YADAVDesign CoordinatorANANDA BANERJEE
Global Tiger Forum SecretariatD-87, Lower Ground Floor, Amar Colony,Raghunath Mandir Road, Lajat Nagar IVNew Delhi 110024
TIGER DRAWINGS IN CHARCOALBY CHARUMATI NIRWAN
1. Note from the Secretary General (05)
2. International Conference on Tiger Conservation (06)
3. 5th General Assembly of the Global Tiger Forum (08)
4. Action Tiger: Tiger Action Plans of 13 Tiger Range Countries (09)
5. Tiger Watch Programme 2010-11 (12)
6. News from Countries: (13)
Bangladesh
Bhutan
China
India
Indonesia
Lao PDR
Malaysia
Nepal
Thailand
Myanmar
Vietnam
7. News from International NGOs/Agencies: (22)
A) TRAFFIC
B) INTERPOL
C) International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
8. News from National NGOs: (26)
A) Wildlife Conservation Nepal (WCN), Nepal
B) The Corbett Foundation
C) Wildlife Trust of India
D) Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI)
9. Of the GTF (31)
Contents
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04 June 2011
NOTE FROM THE SECRETARY GENERALIn the first half of the year (28-29 March, 2011) the Global Tiger Forum, in collaborationwith the Government of India and the Global Tiger Initiative, organized an internationalConference on Tiger Conservation and Global Workshop on Implementation of the GlobalTiger Recovery Programme, at New Delhi, India. This was attended by delegates from all theTiger Range Countries, besides scientists, conservationists, activists and NGOs. TheConference discussed plans, priorities and challenges for implementing the Global TigerRecovery programme, which aims to double the wild tiger population by 2022. The TigerRange Countries also presented their National 'To-Do List' of priority actions. The IndianMinister for Environment and Forests announced the results of the "2010 All India TigerEstimation", which showed a12% increase in the Indian tiger population. The 2nd edition of"Action Tiger" a compilation of updated National Tiger Action Plans (NTAPs) of all 13 tigerrange countries, compiled by the GTF, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) andWildlife Trust of India (WTI) , was also released during the conference.
The Global Tiger Forum held its 5th General Assembly on 30th March 2011, at New Delhi,India, which was attended by all its members and several observers. The Assembly approvedthe membership of eight National NGOs, amendments to the Statutes and Regulations ofGTF and proposed governance structure of GTF. India was unanimously elected as the Chairof the Forum for the next three years. The GTF signed a grant agreement with the WorldBank to facilitate the Global Tiger Recovery Programme, which is to be a Tiger RangeCountries' driven process.
Bhutan hosted the 2nd meeting of the e South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)from 29th to 30th January 2011. The SAWEN has been formed to curb the illegal trade ofwildlife in the region. It is a joint effort of all the eight SAARC countries based on a modelsimilar to that of ASEAN-WEN formed by the ten South East Asian countries.Bhutan also hosted a workshop on 'Smart Green Infrastructure (SGI)' in Tiger ConservationLandscapes. Practitioners from six tiger range countries, a team from the World Bank andGlobal Tiger Initiative, met in Thimphu between 30-31 May 2011. The workshop addressedthe multispectral implications for planning and implementing of SGI tools with application toroads, hydroelectric projects, ecotourism development and land use planning that can poten-tially impact tiger conservation landscape.
SAWEN, in collaboration with the GTF and TRAFFIC-India, organized a capacitybuilding/training programme of frontline staff of member countries on forensic/investigationof wildlife crimes at Gandhinagar, India.
It is our hope that the output of these meetings/workshop will commensurate with theefforts and tiger will get a renewed lease of life and their population will recover by 2022,for the wellbeing of ecosystems in tiger range countries.
Dr. RAJESH GOPALSecretary General
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An International Conference on Tiger Conservation andGlobal Workshop on Implementation of the GlobalTiger Recovery programme was organized by theGovernment of India in collaboration with the GlobalTiger Forum (GTF) and the World Bank's Global TigerInitiative (GTI) on 28th & 29th March, 2011. TheConference was attended by delegates from all theTiger Range Countries, non-tiger range Countries,Scientists, Conservationists, International and NationalNGOs. The Conference was organised to discuss chal-lenges, plans and priorities for implementing the GlobalTiger Recovery Program, which aims to double the wildtiger population by 2022.
Mr Jairam Ramesh, Indian Minister of State forEnvironment and Forests, Indian Minister for CorporateAffairs, Mr Salman Khursheed, and Deputy Chairmanof the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia,Government of India, formally opened the conference,and were joined by Isabel Guerrero, World Bank VicePresident for the South Asia Region.
Indian Minister of Environment and Forests, Mr JairamRamesh announced the results of the "2010 All IndiaTiger Estimation". "The number of 1411 is nowreplaced by 1636, if we see like for like it is a 12%increase" said the Minister. He also added that thenumber 1706 came from new areas included in this sur-vey, which significantly includes Sunderbans which hasan average population of 70 tigers.
Authorities have attributed the increase in tiger popula-tion to a number of factors including better enforce-ment and habitat protection, as well as greater aware-ness. Additionally, some more areas includingSunderbans in the East Indian state of West Bengal andnortheast Indian states, which were excluded in the2008 estimation, were covered in the latest census. Themethodology used was more scientific and uniformthroughout the country, and was coordinated by theNational Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and theWildlife Institute of India (WII).
In addition to the release of the tiger estimation report,the first day of the ICTC also saw the launch of the sec-ond edition of the Action Tiger, a compilation of updat-ed National Tiger Action Plans (NTAPs) of all 13 tigerrange countries (TRC). The NTAPs establish holistic butfocussed and achievable conservation strategy whichlays out specific action plans towards an overarchingvision of securing viable tiger populations in the respec-tive TRCs.
The publication, compiled by the GTF, IFAW and WTI,will be useful for stakeholders including funding agen-cies, supporting non-tiger range countries, NGOs, andconcerned individuals to identify areas requiring focusfor appropriate interventions.
The second day of the Conference was devoted to dis-cussion of GTRP implementation in 2011. The TigerRange countries presented an impressive National 'To-Do lists' of priority actions to be completed by the firstGTRP review in December.
The countries have already made impressive progresssince the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit. A few of theirachievements are highlighted below:Bangladesh - The Cabinet approved the new Wildlife(Conservation) Act, significantly tightening penalties fortiger killing, and the Wildlife Victim CompensationPolicy. A new World Bank IDA project ($36 million) wasnegotiated. The Cabinet acknowledged the St.Petersburg Declaration and provided full support toimplement it.
Bhutan - The Cabinet acknowledged the St. PetersburgDeclaration with full support for implementation. Anindependent Forest Protection and Surveillance Unit wascreated to monitor wildlife crime.
Cambodia - Progress was made on completing the firstCambodia Tiger Action Plan.
China - The State Council acknowledged the GTRP andapproved the National Plan for Recovery of Wild Tiger.SFA included wild tiger actions in the 12th five-yearplan and developed a proposal for GEF 5.
India - $20 million equivalent was allocated for reloca-tion of villages from 8 tiger reserves. The Special TigerProtection Forces was authorized in 17 reserves.Funding was earmarked for 8 new tiger reserves.Economic valuation studies of tiger reserves wereapproved.
Lao PDR - GEF-5 project concept note for protectedarea management was developed.
Malaysia - New Wildlife Conservation Act of 2010increased penalties for tiger poaching 30-fold.Development of a wildlife corridor based on principlesof Smart Green Infrastructure was initiated.
Myanmar - The Ministry of Forestry provided full sup-
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TIGER CONSERVATION
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port to implement the St. Petersburg Declaration andapproval from Cabinet is under process.
Nepal - The Wildlife Crime Control and CoordinationCommittee and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau wasestablished. The South Asia Wildlife EnforcementNetwork Secretariat was established in Kathmandu.
Russia - Prohibition on logging of Korean pine (a criticalfood source for tiger prey) was enacted as well as a banon all logging in regional protected areas. TheEnvironmental Council of the Parliament supportedamendments to Criminal and Administrative Codes forstrengthening penalties for harming endangeredspecies including tigers. A GEF project concept is under
preparation.
Thailand - The Cabinet approved the GTRP andacknowledged the St. Petersburg Declaration. A GEF-5concept note project proposal has been developed, anew Wildlife Crime Center, and two Wildlife CrimeUnits were set up. A regional center for training front-line staff in Smart Patrolling 'MIST' technology waslaunched.
Vietnam - The Cabinet approved National Commitmentson Tiger Conservation and the GTRP, and acknowl-edged the St. Petersburg Declaration with full supportfor its implementation. A full GEF-4 proposal to addresswildlife consumption was developed.
The Fifth General Assembly of the Global Tiger Forum(GTF) was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, India, onthe 30th of March 2011. The sessions were chaired byMr Krishna Prasad Acharya, Director General,Department of National Parks and WildlifeConservation, as Chair country of the Global TigerForum. In all 70 distinguished delegates and observersparticipated in the Assembly.In addition to routine administrative and financialaspects, the Assembly gave formal approval to themembership of eight National NGOs in the GTF viz.Ranthambhore Foundation, Wildlife Trust of India,Wildlife Protection Society of India, Tiger Research andConservation Trust, The Corbett Foundation, NationalTrust for Nature Conservation, Wildlife ConservationNepal and Centre for Wildlife Studies.
The Assembly also approved the amendment proposalsto the Statutes and Regulations of the GTF and the pro-posed new governance structure of the GTF.
A DGF grant proposal was signed between the GTF andthe World Bank during the Assembly, for facilitating theGlobal Tiger Recovery Programme.
The Assembly unanimously elected India as theChairperson of the Forum for the next three years. TheAssembly also elected the members of the ExecutiveCommittee for the next three years.
The Assembly also decided that the next GeneralAssembly of the GTF would be held in Bhutan in theyear 2013.
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08 June 2011
5TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE GLOBAL TIGER FORUM
The second edition of the updated compilation ofNational Tiger Action Plans of 13 tiger range countries,compiled by the GTF, IFAW and WTI, was released dur-ing the International Conference on Tiger Conservation,by Mr jairam Ramesh, Hon'ble Minister of Environmentand Forests, Government of India on the 28th March,2011. With fewer than 4000 tigers left in the wild, fac-ing sever threats throughout its range, the status oftiger remains endangered globally with each TigerRange Country (TRC) having its specific conservationproblems and therefore, the needs and priorities to savethe tiger may vary with each TRC. The National TigerAction Plan of all the countries was compiled by theGTF secretariat into a single document to provide stake-holders an insight into the respective conservationneeds and priorities of each country. An abstract of thesalient features of the National Tiger Action Plans aresummarized as below:-
Bangladesh Tiger Action Plan (BTAP - 2009 - 2017): Theaction plan for tiger conservation in Bangladesh waschosen for eight years which provide vision for future oftigers and set goals to guide conservation efforts, withset of objectives and strategic actions to combat threatsand challenges. The mangrove forests of Bangladeshsupport one of the largest tiger populations of tigers inthe world. The tigers are threatened by direct loss. Preydepletion and habitat degradation. It has high levels ofhuman tiger conflict, manifested in human killing.Livestock depredation and ultimately the retributionkilling of tigers by local communities. The plan providesa vision that the protected tiger landscapes inBangladesh, where wild tigers thrive at optimum carry-ing capacities and which continue to provide essentialecological services to mankind. In building successfultiger conservation efforts, Bangladesh has identified arange of challenges relating to institutional developmentand policy, forest protection and law enforcement, edu-cation and awareness, research and monitoring, and theneed for collaboration. The BTAP has outlined a set ofobjectives and strategic actions to achieve its threatsand challenges. However a strategic document, wit h adetailed implementation plan including activities,responsibilities, and budgets is required.
Bhutan Tiger Action Plan (2006 - 2015): Buddhism wasbrought to Bhutan on a flying tigress; hence tiger is asymbol of a great reverence and is one of the four pro-tector animals in Bhutanese society. The Bhutan TAP isthe culmination of the outputs from the tiger confer-ence held in September 2004. To achieve the goal ofmaintaining a viable interconnected population ofbreeding tigers, a population thriving predominantly onwild prey with minimal conflict between humans and
tigers, Bhutan has identified three main focal thematicobjectives viz. Species conservation covering the tiger,its prey species and their status, habitat conservationincluding forests, protected areas and biological corri-dors and human wildlife conflict management includingconflicts arising from human and wildlife. A fourththeme to further enhance these three themes, focuseson creating and enabling factors such as education andawareness programme for various stakeholders andaudiences, regional cooperation to reduce trans bound-ary poaching and trade and human resources develop-ment through increase in number of adequately trainedstaff.
Cambodia Tiger Action Plan (2011 - 2022): The promis-ing and viable tiger conservation units (TCU) inCambodia were determined in the Northern plains,Cardamom Mountains and the eastern plains. The tigerrecorded in these TCUs were estimated to between 11and 50 tigers (2004 national census). However, in theconsultative meeting held in May 2010, the participantsreached a consensus that there is no evidence of a resi-dent breeding population of tiger in any TigerConservation Landscape in Cambodia, except for fewscattered individuals remaining in the eastern plains.The Eastern plain was therefore identified as the bestpotential source site for eventual tiger reintroduction ofsufficient size to support a breeding population.Cambodia's long term goal is to restore and conserve atleast one defined, delimited and inviolate tiger sourcesite within well defined tiger conservation landscapethat is tiger permeable and can potentially hold atleast50 tigers.
China Tiger Recovery Plan (2010 - 2022): In order tosave and facilitate the growth of four subspecies of wildtiger population in the country, China intends to take aseries of measures which include vegetation rehabilita-tion, establishment of adequate ecological corridorsbetween habitats, intensification of field patrols andmonitoring of such conservation areas, exploration oftiger reintroduction, and putting in place adequatemethods of economic development in combination witha national programme for protection of natural forest,recovery of farmlands for forests, nature reserve devel-opment, etc. By 2022, China expects to achieve signifi-cant growth of wild tiger population by focusing onpromoting population growth of wild tiger based onpopulation and habitat information, relevant conserva-tion management, scientific research, law enforcementand supervision. The objectives are to achieve a maxi-mum expansion of tiger range and a notable improve-ment in its habitat quality, besides achieving geneticexchange among key isolated population groups
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Action Tiger: Tiger action plans of 13 tiger range countries
through restoration and optimisation of habitat in eco-logical corridors. In addition, China intends to establishpilot areas at adequate sites for reintroduction of cap-tive bred south China tiger.Two Russian wildlife inspectors were invited to attendthe "Tiger Watch" programme from 16th May to 26thMay 2011 and visit the tiger occupied central Indianlandscape to see tigers in the wild and learn about thetiger conservation efforts in India. The programme wasjointly organized by the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) andInternational Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - WildlifeTrust of India (WTI).
India Tiger Action Plan (2011 - 2011): India has a strong National legislation in the form of theWildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which provides the legalframe work for both 'in-situ' (National Park/WildlifeSanctuary) and 'ex-situ' (zoos) conservation. The"Project tiger"- is one of the most ambitious conserva-tion projects in the world, hardly having any parallel interms of its scale, magnitude and diversity of field oper-ations and challenges. It has a holistic, ecosystemapproach. Its core-buffer strategy, protection and devel-opment initiatives gave a new perspective to the con-cept of wildlife management in the country and hasbeen "role model" for conservation. As per the findings of the recent All India Tiger
Estimation in 2010, using the refined methodology, thetotal country level population of tiger is 1706 (mid-value) the lower and the upper limits being 1520 and1909 respectively. The National Tiger Action Plan ofIndia includes detailed prescriptions for: (a) Anti-poaching activities (b) Strengthening of infrastructure within Tiger Reserves: (c) Habitat improvement and water development: (d) Addressing man-animal conflict (ensuring uniform,timely compensation for human deaths due to wild ani-mals, livestock depredation by carnivores, crop depreda-tion by wild ungulates) (e) Co-existence agenda in buffer / fringe areas. (f) Rehabilitation of traditional hunting tribes livingaround tiger reserves.(g) Research and field equipments. (h) Staff development and capacity building. (i) Deciding inviolate spaces for wildlife and relocation ofvillagers from core or critical tiger habitats in TigerReserves within a timeframe and settlement of rights. (j) Mainstreaming wildlife concerns in tiger bearingforests and fostering corridor conservation throughrestorative strategy involving locals to arrest fragmenta-tion of habitats.(k) Safeguards / Retrofitting measures in the interest ofwildlife conservation. (l) Providing basic infrastructure/ Project TigerHeadquarter expenditure for consultancy, all India tigerestimation/continuous monitoring of tigers outside tigerreserves, strengthening of NTCA at the Center.
(m) Independent monitoring and evaluation of tigerreserves.(n) Establishment and development of new TigerReserves.(o) Provision of Project Allowance to staff of Project Tiger.(p) Staff welfare activities.(q) Fostering Eco-Tourism in Tiger Reserves.
Indonesia Tiger Action Plan (2007 - 2017): Indonesiawas once the home for Javan, Bali and the Sumatrantiger, of which the first two have been declared extinct.The Sumatran tiger has been categorised as criticallyendangered by the IUCN, with its populations found infragmented and isolated habitats exclusively on theisland of Sumatra. With a vision, to conserve theSumatran tiger while fostering harmonious tiger coexis-tence with development activities on Sumatran islands,besides providing direction for conservation manage-ment especially in areas adjoining to Sumatran tigerhabitat, it targets at the very least, a stable populationand landscape of tiger maintained until 2017 and atpublic support for conservation of the Sumatran tigerconservation and its landscape increased.
Lao PDR Tiger Action Plan (2010 - 2020): Tigers havebeen confirmed only in the Nam Et-Phou Louey NationalProtected area, based on camera trapping and geneticanalysis of scat, while in other parts tiger presence isbased only on reports of animal signs which requireconfirmation. Despite the decline, much of the land ofLao PDR is covered by forest, which is described as"green gold" that could potentially harbour abundantprey population for supporting a viable tiger population.The primary objective of the NTAP is to establish afocused strategy that lays out specific actions to betaken over the next ten years with an overarching visionof securing healthy functioning forest ecosystem for aviable tiger populations. The overall goal of this actionplan is to elevate the existing tiger numbers to the levelof viable breeding populations at the source site, NamEt-Phou Louey National Protected area, ensuring con-nectivity between all the eight identified tiger conserva-tion landscapes (TCL), and obtain baseline data on tigerpopulations for all TCLs by 2020. The plan will beimplemented using an adaptive management approach,where monitoring is used to measure the impact of theinterventions on the status of wild tigers, their prey andthe threats they face.
Malaysia Tiger Action Plan (2008 - 2020): WithinMalaysia, tigers are found only in the peninsula in threelandscapes, (east, west and south), each having a priori-ty core area, forming the basis for spatial planning oftiger conservation. The aim of the Malaysia tiger actionplan is to establish a holistic but focused and achievableconservation strategy that lays out specific actionstowards an overarching vision of securing viable tiger
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population in the country. The goal is to actively man-age tiger populations at carrying capacities across thethree landscapes within the central forest spine, con-nected with functioning corridors. The objectives identi-fied towards achieving the goal are, to secure the cen-tral forest spine with strictly protected priority areas inlandscapes connected with corridors, provide effectiveand long term protection of tigers and prey, promoteand practice ecologically sound land use, compatiblewith tiger conservation outside the priority areas andapply science in monitoring the efficacy of conservationwhile improving the knowledge of tiger ecology.
Myanmar Tiger Action Plan: The Myanmar Tiger ActionPlan consists mainly of recovering the tigers to their for-mer abundance in key parts of their range where theystill exist, and restoring areas where the tigers havebeen lost to foster natural recolonization in future. Theplan addresses the key threats which are hunting forcommercial trade in the tiger products, prey depletion,habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, displace-ment, illegal trade in tiger products, genetic erosion,protected area management and social perceptions toachieve the larger goal of species recovery. An annualreview of progress was suggested towards achievingshort term goals. Success at reaching the short term tar-gets will set a stage for meeting the long term goals.The efforts to save the tigers in Myanmar are part of alarger global effort to save the species.
Nepal Tiger Action Plan (2008 - 2012): The action planaims at identifying areas that are most important formaintaining the largest, least fragmented land base fortigers, and developing conservation strategies thatinclude and benefit local communities. The goal of theNTAP is to preserve, recognize, restore and increase theeffective land base that support tigers in Nepal in orderto maintain a viable tiger population. On basis of theNepal's tiger conservation efforts, achievements, chal-lenges, strengths and opportunities, the NTAP formu-lates five specific objectives to meet the overall goal ofthe action plan: tiger and prey information, habitatmanagement, conflict resolution, anti poaching and antitrafficking operations and trans boundary cooperation.For each objective, key issues and strategies and activi-ties have been identified based on the information gath-ered and literature surveys.
Russia Tiger Action Plan (2010 - 2020): The action planis based on the strategy for conservation of the Amurtiger in Russian Federation. The overall goal of this strat-egy is to identify mechanisms which help to conserve aviable population of Amur tigers within the Russian
Federation having the maximum possible genetic diversi-ty. To achieve this strategic goal, there are three princi-pal objectives, viz. to conserve the existing Amur tigerpopulation, to identify mechanisms which conserve theAmur tiger population whilst taking into account thegrowing impact on ecosystems, and to minimize thenegative impacts of humans and the Amur tiger popula-tion. The updated action plan pays special attention forextending the set of activities that will effectively protectthe Amur tiger, its main prey species and habitat, reduc-ing the degradation of habitat by introducing best prac-tices and improving forest and wildlife management,strengthening civil and criminal penalties for poachingand illegal possession of and trade in Amur tiger parts,providing incentives to encourage small businesses withlocal communities and improving population monitoringsystems for the Amur tiger.
Thailand Action Tiger Plan (2010 - 2022): The Thailandaction plan consists of two parts, the first is a review ofthe ecology and conservation status of tigers and a dis-cussion on conservation challenges that face the tiger,and the second part consists of a detailed description ofthe visions and goals, recommended actions for achiev-ing those goals, detailed indicators, means of verifica-tion and anticipated timeframe. The vision is to haverecovered populations of tiger by 2022 thriving in priori-ty landscapes, managed under high standard interven-tions with monitoring systems. Thailand has become astrong supporter and international collaborator on tigerand wildlife conservation and protected area manage-ment in Southeast Asia. The action plan has five mainthematic objectives to achieve the goals, viz.Strengthening direct conservation action and enforce-ment, building capacity based on successful models,strengthening monitoring, research and informationmanagement, promoting education, awareness andpublic participation and strategic financing for tiger con-servation.
Vietnam Tiger Action Plan (2010 - 2015): The mainobjective of the national tiger action plan is to identifysuitable habitats to recover tiger prey population andtiger habitat, establish the tiger landscape with a moni-toring system, and improve the inter - boundary conser-vation cooperation with Lao PDR and Cambodia in tigerconservation. The only Indo-Chinese tiger sub speciespopulation in Vietnam is endangered primarily due tohuman activities, and there has been no comprehensivesurvey or a tiger monitoring programme or any projectfocus on the species. The Vietnam tiger action plan istherefore, a commitment from the government to con-serve tigers and wildlife in general.
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Two Russian wildlife inspectors wereinvited to attend the "Tiger Watch"programme from 16th May to 26thMay 2011 and visit the tiger occupiedcentral Indian landscape to see tigersin the wild and learn about the tigerconservation efforts in India. The pro-gramme was jointly organized by theGlobal Tiger Forum (GTF) andInternational Fund for Animal Welfare(IFAW) - Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
The major tiger population of India isrestricted to the Central Indian tigerlandscape, with the population consti-tuting to 43 % (601 (mid value) lowerand upper values 486 and 718 respec-tively) of the total tiger estimates ofthe country. The best managed tigerreserves, Pench and Kanha TigerReserves in the Central Indian tigerlandscape were therefore, selected fortheir visit. The two Russians Inspectorsalso visited the office of National TigerConservation Authority (NTCA),Government of India, Global TigerForum (GTF) Secretariat and IFAW -WTI and discussed the overview ofIndian tiger conservation scenario andpriorities, briefing on Internationaltiger conservation scenario andNational Tiger Action Plans.
Field visits to the buffer and coreareas of both the parks to see theoverall activities and exchange ofviews / information was conducted.The Field Directors of Pench andKanha Tiger Reserves briefed them onthe conservation scenario of the state and managementof the tiger reserves, site specific management plansand programmes and dealing with the poaching prob-lems in the TR's. On foot patrolling was conducted inKanha Tiger Reserve and by vehicle in Pench
They were briefed on the patrolling methods used inthe TR's and interacted and exchanged their experienceswith the ground staff. Anti fishing camp and the antielectrocution camp was amongst the camps they visit-ed. They also were shown the daily monitoring registersmaintained in the patrolling camps of both the TR's.
They visited the villages in the fringe areas to under-stand and study the perception and problems of the vil-lagers who were relocated from the tiger reserve to thefringe areas.
The wildlife sightings in Pench TR and Kanha TR werethe best experiences the two of them ever had. Apartfrom nine tigers (a tigress with five cubs in Pench andthree in Kanha), two sloth bears, two separate packs ofwild dogs 23 and 15, more than 50 gaurs, about 30swamp deers, many wild boars, plenty of spotted deersand sambhar deers, few raptors and many more birds.
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12 June 2011
Tiger Watch Programme 2010 - 11
BANGLADESHSundarban Tigers At Risk From Rising Sea Level: StudySATURDAY, 23 JANUARY 2010One of the world's largest tiger populations could disap-pear by the end of this century as rising sea levelscaused by climate change destroy their habitat in theSundarbans along the coast of Bangladesh, according toa new World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-led study publishedin the journal Climatic Change.
Tigers are among the world's most threatenedspecies, with only an estimated 3,200 remaining in thewild, Swiss-based WWF, the worlds largest conserva-tions organisation, said in a report on Friday.
WWF officials said the threats facing these RoyalBengal tigers and other iconic species around the worldhighlight the need for urgent international action toreduce greenhouse gas emissions.
"If we don't take steps to address the impacts of cli-mate change on the Sundarbans, the only way its tigerswill survive this century is with scuba gear," said ColbyLoucks, WWF-US deputy director of conservation sci-ence and the lead author of the study on Sea Level Riseand Tigers: Predicted Impacts to Bangladesh'sSundarbans Mangroves.
"Tigers are a highly adaptable species, thriving fromthe snowy forests of Russia to the tropical forests ofIndonesia.
"The projected sea level rise in the Sundarbans willlikely outpace the tiger's ability to adapt."
An expected sea level rise of 28 cm above 2000 lev-els may cause the remaining tiger habitat in theSundarbans to decline by 96 percent, pushing the totalpopulation to fewer than 20 breeding tigers, accordingto the study.
Unless immediate action is taken, the Sundarbans,its wildlife and the natural resources that sustain mil-lions of people may disappear within 50 to 90 years, thestudy states.
"The mangrove forest of the Bengal tiger now joinsthe sea-ice of the polar bear as one of the habitats mostimmediately threatened as global temperatures rise dur-ing the course of this century," said Keya Chatterjee,acting director of the WWF-US climate change program."To avert an ecological catastrophe on a much largerscale, we must sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissionsand prepare for the impacts of climate change we failedto avoid."
The Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Siteshared by India and Bangladesh at the mouth of theGanges River, is the world's largest single block of man-grove forest. Mangroves are found at the inter-tidalregion between land and sea, and not only serve asbreeding grounds for fish but help protect coastal
regions from natural disasters such as cyclones, stormsurges and wind damage.
Providing the habitat for between 250 and 400tigers, the Sundarbans is also home to more than 50reptile species, 120 commercial fish species, 300 birdspecies and 45 mammal species. While their exact num-bers are unclear, the tigers living in the Sundarbans ofIndia and Bangladesh may represent as many as 10 per-cent of all the remaining wild tigers worldwide.
Using the rates of sea level rise projected by theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in itsFourth Assessment Report (2007), the study inbdicatesthat a 28 cm sea level rise may be realized around2070, at which tigers survival in the Sundarbans isunlikely. However, recent research suggests that theseas may rise even more swiftly than what was predict-ed in the 2007 IPCC assessment.
In addition to climate change, the Sundarbanstigers, like other tiger populations around the worldalready face tremendous threats from poaching andhabitat loss. Tiger ranges have decreased by 40 percentover the past decade, and tigers today occupy less thanseven percent of their original range. Scientists fear thataccelerating deforestation and rampant poaching couldpush some tiger populations to the same fate as theirnow-extinct Javan and Balinese relatives in other partsof Asia.
Tigers are poached for their highly prized skins andbody parts, which are used in traditional Chinesemedicine. The 2010 Year of the Tiger will mark animportant year for conservation efforts to save wildtigers, with WWF continuing to play a vital role inimplementing bold new strategies to save this magnifi-cent Asian big cat.
Recommendations in the study include:n Locally, governments and natural resource managersshould take immediate steps to conserve and expandmangroves while preventing poaching and retaliatorykilling of tigers.
n Regionally, neighboring countries should increasesediment delivery and freshwater flows to the coastalregion to support agriculture and replenishment of theland;
n Globally, governments should take stronger action tolimit greenhouse gas emissions;
"It's disheartening to imagine that the Sundarbans -which means 'beautiful forest' in Bengali - could begone this century, along with its tigers," Loucks said."We very much hope that in this, the Year of the Tiger,
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News : from Tiger Countries
the world will focus on curtailing the immediate threatsto these magnificent creatures and preparing for thelong-term impacts of climate change."Source: bdnews24.com
BHUTANBhutan hosts SAWEN 2nd Expert Group meeting.The South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)was formally launched In January, 2011 after the 2ndExpert Group Meeting. The SAWEN has been formed tocurb the illegal trade of wildlife in the region. It is a jointeffort of all the 8 SAARC countries based on the modelsimilar to that of ASEAN-WEN formed by the 10 SouthEast Asian countries.
The meeting hosted by the Royal Government ofBhutan and coordinated by the Wildlife ConservationDivision of the Department of Forests and Park Services,with financial support from WWF's TRAFFICInternational, was held from 29th-30th January 2011 atTashi Namgay Resorts at Paro. The meeting was formal-ly opened by His Excellency, Lyonpo Dr. Pema Gyamtshoin the afternoon of 28th January.
The meeting was also attended by representativesfrom US Department of State, US Aid, representativesfrom Department of National Parks of Thailand andMalaysia and other International Organizations like,CITES, GTF, GTI, WWF, TRAFFIC, World Bank andInterpol. A representative from ASEAN-WEN alsoattended the meeting while presenting the lessons fromASEAN-WEN.
The Bhutanese delegation to this meeting was head-ed by the Director of the Department of Forests andPark Services and included relevant members WildlifeConservation Division, Nature Recreation andEcotourism Division, BAFRA and also a member fromthe Bhutan's InterPol Unit of the Royal Bhutan Police.
The meeting discussed road map of SAWEN besidesthe formal formation of SAWEN Secretariat which willbe based in Kathmandu, Nepal, headed by an officer tobe designated as Chief Enforcement Coordinator, assuggested by the Head of Delegation from Bhutan andagreed by all.
Tiger experts recommend tiger-ffriendly policiesJune 8, 2011Practitioners from six tiger range countries, a team fromWorld Bank and Global Tiger Initiative ,met in Thimphuin June, 2011.
The workshop called Smart Green Infrastructure(SGI) in Tiger Conservation Landscapes addressed themultispectral implications for planning and implement-ing of SGI tools with application to roads, hydroelectricprojects, ecotourism developments and land use plan-ning that can potentially impact tiger conservation land-scape.
Some of the recommendations from the workshopwere to expedite official definition, delineation and des-
ignation of core tiger habitats, develop an overallhydropower development strategy that takes intoaccount sensitive environment areas, including tigerbreeding zone.
Practitioners recommended that tiger conservationlandscape (TCL) plans should be developed, encompass-ing habitats, buffer zones, corridors and wider produc-tion landscapes to ensure protection of core habitatsand compatible land use in the remaining landscape.
It was stated that the responsibility for SGI shouldbe shared across public agencies, the private sector andcivil society. Conserving tiger landscapes should not bethe sole responsibility of the forest and wildlife depart-ments but a shared responsibility. Human resource andtechnical capacity to design, implement and superviseSGI must be built in infrastructure, planning and finan-cial institutions. All sectors must contribute to the nec-essary resources.
The need to use and enhance existing in-park roadguidelines was pointed out. It was also recommendedthat every tiger range country need to come up withguidelines to regulate tourism in and around TCL andestablish larger framework for role of tourism in conser-vation.
Keshav Varma, the programme director of GTI, saidthat tigers are an iconic indicator of the biodiversity,and that the world is losing them on a significantly highrate.
He said that the recommendations from the work-shop are applicable to all tiger range countries. "I didnot realise saving 3,200 tigers is such a tiring and con-fusing job," he said.
Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho said that tigers are at thetop of the food chain. "When we conserve tiger, weconserve all the animals on the food chain." He saidthat in Bhutan the tiger number has increased and thatthe per capita tiger is high.
He assured the practitioners that their work andideas will not go to waste.
Participants at the workshop included Bhutan'ssenior officials and representatives from the naturalresource management and infrastructure sectors as wellas experts from several other tiger range countriesincluding Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepaland international experts from public and private sec-tors.By Tandin Pem
CHINAVolunteers in NE China clear traps to protect endan-gered Siberian tigersEnglish news on 2011-01-10 16:34:28HARBIN, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Over 100 volunteers aresearching for and clearing traps in snow-covered moun-tain forests in northeast China's Heilongjiang Provinceto protect the endangered Siberian tigers.
By Sunday night, the trap-clearing work that started
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Saturday morning had cleared 67 iron wire traps and aclip, team head Wang Lin told reporters Monday.
Poachers usually set traps and clips to catch roedeer, rabbits and wild boar, said Ma Jianzhang, an aca-demic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE)who does research on wild animals.
Ma said the wild animals the poachers trap are theSiberian tigers' food. Poaching the wild animals breaksthe forest food chain, threatening the endangered tigerspecies that once roamed western and central Asia andeastern Russia.
The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society(WCS), the Heilongjiang Provincial Administration ofForest Industry, the Harbin Daily Newspaper Group andonline news company www.harbinnews.com jointlysponsored the trap-clearing campaign, said Wang Lin.
The volunteers, aged between 19 and 65, wereselected from more than 300 applicants from across thecountry. They include public servants, university stu-dents, teachers and journalists, Wang said.
Volunteer Ma Xinda is a junior at Yanbian Universityin northeastern Jilin Province.
"I was hungry and exhausted after a day's walk indeep snow. But when I found a trap, I became excitedand energized again," Ma said.
"I think our efforts have been worthwhile," said vol-unteer Qiao Junxian from north China's Hebei Province.
"I hope we can ensure a quiet and safe habitat forthe wild Siberian tigers, so they can make it their homeand breed here," Qiao said.
There are only about 20 wild Siberian tigers left inChina, with eight to 10 in Jilin Province and 10 to 14 inHeilongjiang Province.
Local government in southwest China purchases insurance policy to compensate residents attacked bywild animalsEnglish news on 2011-01-04 21:46:36KUNMING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Some southwest Chinaresidents will receive more compensation if they areattacked by protected animals, after one local governmentpurchased a public liability insurance policy.
The Dai Autonomous Prefecture of Xishuangbanna,Yunnan Province, and China Pacific Insurance Co. signedan agreement in December that took effect Jan. 1.
The insurance policy costs 6.6 million yuan in premi-ums and its maximum payout is 40 million yuan in2011.
All endangered wild animals under state protection -- including elephants, boars, bears, tigers and leopards -- are covered by the policy. Local farmers who sufferlosses due to the animals' attacks can receive appropri-ate compensation.
Government compensation for wild animal attackshas been limited, even as the numbers of wild animalsin the area has increased, said Wu Jianlei, a YunnanProvincial Forestry Bureau spokesman.
In Xishuangbanna, direct losses caused by wild ele-phants has ranged from 3 million to 10 million yuan peryear over the past three years, with the yearly averagestanding around 6 million yuan, said Wu.
Chang Zongbo, an official with the XishuangbannaPrefecture Forestry Police, said more than 4,000 cases ofdamage caused by wild animals have been reported inrecent years, and more than 130 people have beenkilled or injured since 1991.
Government compensation paid to victims was oftenless than 10 percent of losses, said Chang.
In Shuangla Village, Lisu Autonomous Prefecture ofNujiang, for instance, black bears attacked more than20 sheep and destroyed 150 mu of crops in one year.
Villager Feng Yuzhong said black bears do not fearscarecrows at all.
"Later, we found a tape recorder and high-pitchedsounds played through a loudspeaker proved effectivein scaring them. But this might not last," said Feng.
In another case, in Mengla County, wild elephantskilled a 67-year-old farmer picking chilis in the moun-tains in November.
Fang Shengguo, director of the State ConservationCenter for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife, saidthe rise in wildlife populations does not mean China'secology has been optimized. "On the contrary, theseattacks reflect the lack of a complete food chain for thewild animals," he said.
To prevent the killing of protected wildlife in thearea, Fang said compensation must be adequate.
INDIABengaluru to be south hub for tiger protectionJune 4, 2011 By Amit S. Upadhye /DECCAN HERALDThe tiger population may have gone up in Karnatakaand elsewhere as a result of conservation efforts, butfortunately, the authorities have not become smug andare continuing to do more to save the big cat.
The Southern Regional Cell of the National TigerConservation Authority (NTCA) will soon set up base inBengaluru to work closely with all southern states withtiger populations and coordinate their efforts to protectthe animal under constant threat from poachers.
The NTCA which is headed by Prime MinisterManmohan Singh will now have three centres aroundthe country, at Gawhathi, Nagpur and Bengaluru.
The Nagpur unit which is expected to oversee tigerprotection efforts in Central India was inauguratedrecently and the Bengaluru unit is also likely to be oper-ational soon. It will be headed by an officer of the rankof Chief Conservator of Forests."Once the centre isoperational all wildlife wings in southern states whichhave tigers will work in coordination with it," says anNCTA officer.
NTCA member secretary Dr Rajesh Gopal explainsthat such coordination is important to deal with poach-
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ing and tribal relocation from critical wildlife habitatsand tiger reserves.
Tiger biologist Dr K Ullas Karanth welcomes the factthat the regional centre will involve qualified tigerexperts and non-governmental groups working for tigerconservation. "Presently the tiger habitat managementis more government centered," he points out.
Praveen Bhargav, trustee, Wildlife First Organisation,hopes the authorities concerned will now reconsider thecurrent guidelines issued for critical wildlife habitats,which in his view , encourage diversion of forest landfor non- forestry activities even while talking of savingthe tiger and other endangered wildlife.
Long live the majestic tiger!Students at a Dubai school have taken it upon them-selves to haul the endangered cats from the brink ofextinctionBy Leanne Rose Thachil, Nikita Sudhir, Krithika Narayanand Meghna Tony Gulf News ReadersPublished: 00:00 June 7, 2011COMMUNITY REPORTEndangered, extinct, indiscriminately killed - such termshave become synonymous with animals, thanks toman's actions.
One such victim is the symbolic legend of the wild inAsia - the tiger - which now stands on the brink ofextinction.
Students of Our Own English High School, Dubai,have initiated a project to save the national animal ofIndia - the majestic tiger.
Encouraged by activities worldwide to save wildlife,we have prepared posters and badges, got pledgeforms signed, screened the adventure movie TwoBrothers and more.
Under the guidance of the school management, stu-dents also have an ambitious plan to set up a newworld record of making the longest pledge, in view ofpromoting the conservation of tigers.
After watching Two Brothers, an adventure familyfilm directed by Jean Jacques Annaud, students cho-rused: "It's the mind of every individual that needs achange".
Students have cheerfully decorated their classroombulletin boards, displayed posters and have done everybit for the success of this project. We even painted ourfaces yellow and black!
The teachers organised skits and we imitated tigersand hunters. Young girls also made placards and creat-ed slogans. One of the placards captured the realitytoday with the words: "Are there tigers still in thewoods?"
Another said: "Leave them alone".A visit by primary school students to the Dubai Zoo
further enhanced the empathy that children had for ani-mals. Viewing caged animals that looked unhealthy andtraumatised, the young hearts debated on the callous
nature of humans and argued that people should comedown heavily upon poachers.
Mrs Lalitha Suresh, headmistress of Our Own EnglishHigh School, Dubai, spoke her mind on the subject. Shesaid: "[The] 'Save The Tiger' project is an emblemisinginitiative by the school and involves other schools, withthe sole motive of creating awareness!
Obviously, as a school, for such a project we cannotgo to an advanced level - for instance, going to the for-est and monitoring the status of each animal.
But as educated individuals, we can advise our chil-dren, and create awareness and empathy within them."
While classroom activities have been successful inencouraging and promoting greater awareness at thegrassroots level, the 'Save the Tiger' project has alsobeen effective in persuading students in our school aswell as various other schools to stop purchasing prod-ucts such as authentic fur.
Special assemblies were conducted in variousschools across the emirate, which brought to light vari-ous facts and figures about tiger conservation and whatevery individual can do to make a difference - whethergreat or small.
An educational trip to Kenya further helped studentsdevelop empathy for the big cats. The attempt to makethe longest pledge by thousands of people to curb theuse of products made from this animal is also one ofthe many accomplishments that the project targets toachieve in the months to come.
Only collective responsibility can bring about tangi-ble change.
INDONESIACamera captures tiger cubs in SumatraThe Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau | Tue, 05/10/201110:56 PMPEKANBARU: WWF camera traps recorded 12 tigers intwo months in the central Sumatran landscape of BukitTigapuluh, including two mothers with cubs, the organi-zation said.
A video camera trap in the same area also capturedfootage of three young tiger siblings playfully chasing aleaf, WWF International said in a release sent to TheJakarta Post on Monday.
"Our team was thrilled to discover 47 tiger imagesin our camera traps, from which we identified sixunique individuals," said Karmila Parakkasi, who leadsWWF's tiger research team in Sumatra. "That was thehighest number of tigers and tiger images obtained inthe first month of sampling we've ever experienced.And then the results from the second month were evenmore impressive - not just one tiger family but two,with another six tigers."
The forest where the tigers were recorded is underimminent threat of being cleared by the pulp and paperindustry, despite being designated a "global prioritytiger conservation landscape". It is one of six areas the
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Indonesian government pledged to protect at lastNovember's tiger summit of world leaders in Russia.
The area, known as Bukit Tigapuluh, or "ThirtyHills", is located in Riau and Jambi provinces in centralSumatra.
There are an estimated 400 critically endangeredSumatran tigers left in the wild. Evidence of three cubssurviving is extremely rare, WWF tiger experts said.
Between 2004 and 2010, Bukit Tigapuluh lost205,460 hectares of forest to pulp and paper and palmoil industries, according to the WWF.
Road-bbuilding plans threaten Indonesian tigersAli Kutarumalos, Associated Press, Jakarta | Thu,04/28/2011 4:35 PMIndonesia is preparing to greenlight the construction ofseveral highways through a park that has one of theworld's few viable populations of wild tigers, conserva-tionists warned Thursday.
The move would be especially alarming, they said,because it would come just months after the govern-ment signed a deal in Russia promising to do everythingpossible to save the iconic big cats from extinction.
There are about 3,500 tigers are left in the wildworldwide. The Kerinci Seblat National Park, whichspans four provinces on Sumatra island, is home to anestimated 190 of them - more than in China, Vietnam,Nepal, Laos and Cambodia combined.
"We need to do everything possible to stop this,"said Mahendra Shrestha of Save the Tigers inWashington D.C. "It would be disastrous to one of thecore tiger habitats in Asia."
The plans for four roads through the park wouldopen up previously inaccessible land to villagers and ille-gal loggers, divide breeding grounds and movementcorridors, and destroy vulnerable ecosystems.
Shrestha said it makes a "mockery" of the agree-ment signed by 13 countries that still have wild tigers topreserve and enhance critical habitats as part of effortsto double populations by 2002.
The 1.4-million hectare Kerinci Seblat park, which isdivided by the Barisan mountain range and fringed byoil palm plantations as far as the eye can see, also ishome to critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros, ele-phants, clouded leopards, sun bears and more than 370bird species.
It also has more than 4,000 plant species.The Forestry Ministry, which would have to sign off
on any deal and request parliamentary changes toIndonesian law on protected land, has remainedtightlipped about the plans except to say building roadsfor development in protected areas is illegal. "It's stilljust a proposal," ministry spokesman Masyhud, whogoes by one name, told The Associated Press.
Still, conservationists are worried because regionalleaders - who increasingly hold sway in the nation of237 million - are pushing the plans. With no visible
pushback from the central government, the regionalleaders may have little problem bulldozing through theirproposal.
Provincial officials in Jambi, Bengkulu and WestSumatra argue that four roads up to 40 feet (12 meters)wide are needed in the park to serve as "evacuationroutes" for people in the event of volcanoes, earth-quakes, flooding and other natural disasters.
"We fully understand the importance of this nation-al park and will do everything to make sure that theenvironment is not destroyed," said Nashsyah, head ofBengkulu's development planning board, adding that acomprehensive study still needs to be done to educateall parties about the project.
Two-thirds of the tigers in the Kerinci Seblat parkare adult females.
It is one of the few places where populations haveactually grown over the last five years, thanks largely tountouched habitat and anti-poaching patrols that havehelped protect one of the few genetically viable popula-tions left in the world.
There already are four roads through the park. Theconstruction of new, larger highways would bring intons of heavy equipment, chain saws and hundreds ofworkers for months on end.
"These roads would further fragment tiger commu-nities and disrupt their movement corridors," said ZenSuhadi of Indonesia's most prominent environmentalgroup, Walhi.
"That's our main concern."He is among 350 conservationists from dozens of
different national and international nongovernmentgroups that have banded together to argue that theplans would turn Kerinci Seblat into a mishmash of for-est blocks putting both tigers and their habitat at risk.
If approved, they say, it would open the way forroad building in every protected area in Indonesia.
"We've called on the government to reconsider theplan," said Hariyo Tabat Wibisono, chairman of thelocal tiger conservation group, Forum HarimauKita. "Butwe hear it's already gotten the green light."
Tiger headed to Tommy Winata's conservation siteThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 04/22/2011 11:45 AMA Sumatran tiger roaming a village in the Bengkuluregency of Seluma has been captured and will soon berelocated to a private conservation area owned by busi-ness tycoon Tommy Winata.
The South Bukit Barisan National Park is located inTambling area in the neighboring province of Lampung.
The female tiger, named Tarisa by the villagers, isabout two years old, weighs 65 kilograms and is 135centimeters long.
It was often seen in Talang Sebaris village beforebeing captured in March by local Natural ResourcesConservation Agency officers.
"We're ready to relocate Tarisa and are planning to
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take her to Tambling on April 26, 2011. Based on vari-ous considerations, we've decided to move her toLampung," the head of the agency's administrative divi-sion, Supartono, said as quoted by Antara on Friday.
A Sumatran tiger roaming a village in the Bengkuluregency of Seluma has been captured and will soon berelocated to a private conservation area owned by busi-ness tycoon Tommy Winata.
The South Bukit Barisan National Park is located inTambling area in the neighboring province of Lampung.
The female tiger, named Tarisa by the villagers, isabout two years old, weighs 65 kilograms and is 135centimeters long.
It was often seen in Talang Sebaris village beforebeing captured in March by local Natural ResourcesConservation Agency officers.
"We're ready to relocate Tarisa and are planning totake her to Tambling on April 26, 2011. Based on vari-ous considerations, we've decided to move her toLampung," the head of the agency's administrative divi-sion, Supartono, said as quoted by Antara on Friday.
LAO PDRNew Law Enforcement Task Force to Combat WildlifeCrime holds Inaugural Meeting in Lao PDREMBARGO RELEASE 20 MAY 2011(Vientiane, 20 May 2011) - The Government of Lao PDRis kick-starting its new Law Enforcement Task Force toCombat Wildlife Crime named "Lao-WEN". Lao-WEN isa national effort to stop poaching, trafficking and illegaltrade of protected flora and fauna. Today the InauguralMeeting of Lao-WEN is being held in Vientiane to begina process of strengthening wildlife law enforcement,part of a broader regional effort called the ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN).Representatives from the ASEAN-WEN ProgramCoordination Unit (PCU), Vietnam-Wildlife EnforcementNetwork (VN-WEN) and Cambodia-Wildlife EnforcementNetwork Coordinating Unit (CWCU) are observing theevent to share best practices.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry documenttitled: Forestry Strategy to the Year 2020 for the LaoPDR is intended to guide the development of theforestry sector within Lao PDR. One recommendationcontained within the Forestry Strategy was to enhancethe existing legal framework in support of a new lawenforcement and governance process.
The Department of Forest Inspection (DOFI) was cre-ated to inspect and investigate suspected violations ofthe new Forest Law, the Wildlife & Aquatic, theNational Penal Code and other subsidiary laws. DOFIworks in close collaboration with the Department ofForest Resource Conservation and other governmentdepartments on a wide variety of environmental protec-tion initiatives to address these high expectations.
In September 2010, the Minister of Agriculture andForestry announced the government's implementing
mechanism to operationalized national commitments tothe ASEAN-Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN). Today's Lao-WEN Inaugural Meeting in Vientianewill commit Lao PDR to the international effort againstwildlife crime in partnership with other Southeast AsianNations.
ASEAN-WEN stands for the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations' Wildlife Enforcement Network. It is theworld's largest wildlife law enforcement network thatinvolves police, customs and environment agencies of all10 ASEAN countries - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore,Vietnam and Thailand. Through annual meetings, work-shops and trainings, ASEAN-WEN facilitates increasedcapacity and better coordination and collaboration oflaw enforcement agencies between Southeast Asiancountries, regionally and globally.
The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, HisExcellency Sitaheng Rasphone said, "Today, we arepleased to welcome representatives of the Lao PDRGovernment and government departments, internation-al non-government organizations, sponsoring agencyrepresentatives, local community groups and privateindustry to the inaugural meeting of the Lao WildlifeEnforcement Network. The success of Lao-WEN willinvolve collaboration between both national and inter-national partners. The Department of Forest Inspectionwill work hard to meet our commitments to ASEAN andthe high expectations required through membership inASEAN-WEN."
Mr. Phoumy Phoumanivong, Director-General of theDepartment of Forest Inspection said,"This inauguralmeeting of "Lao-WEN" is a practical example of ourcommitment as a partner to the ASEAN WildlifeEnforcement Network. We look forward to workingwith the ASEAN law enforcement community and ourlocal community groups. Together we will develop pro-grams and strategies that prevent, detect and suppresswildlife crime that endangers not only our rich biodiver-sity, but also national security and human health"
Mr Manop Lauprasert, Senior Officer of theBangkok-based Program Coordination Unit of ASEAN-WEN added that, "The ASEAN-WEN PCU is pleased tosee the networking progress in Lao PDR. A very positivestep in ensuring that wildlife crime does not flourish inthis region. Let it be stressed that we are not merelyprotecting endangered plant and animal species in theASEAN region. We are protecting the sustainability ofour own future. The illegal wildlife trade weakens natu-ral ecosystems, supports organized crime, and is recog-nized to increase the risk of transmitting emerginginfectious diseases such as avian pandemic influenzaand severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)."
MALAYSIAUS gives grant to tiger conservation project inEndau-RRompin parks
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2011/05/12 : NewstraitstimesJOHOR BAHARU: The United States Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS) has awarded a grant of RM150,000 toWorld Conservation Society-Johor (WCS-J) for tiger con-servation projects at the Endau-Rompin National Park.
Paul W. Jones, the US ambassador to Malaysia whopresented the grant, said the USFWS has been collabo-rating with WCS-Johor and the Johor National ParksCorporation (JNPC) in their conservation efforts atEndau-Rompin for a decade.
"We have worked together to provide tiger conser-vation education and workshops to local educators andleaders. And we have supported and continue to sup-port the 'Tigers Forever' program," he said during thegrant presentation ceremony in Johor Baharu today.
The grant, he noted, was meant to carry out a pro-ject, titled "Conservation of the Tigers of the Endau-Rompin Landscape through improved Law Enforcementand Expansion to the Southeast and Southwest."
The funds, provided by the US, will be used to helpWCS to further expand law enforcement coverage inthe southeast and southwest of the Kota Tinggi region.
He added that over the past five years, the US haddirectly provided RM1.5 million to WCS-Johor to sup-port Malaysia's goal of doubling its tiger population by2020.
According to Jones, Malaysia has some of the mostbio-diverse ecologies in the world and the US has beenproud to support conservation efforts through the Heartof Borneo programme and the Coral Triangle initiative.
"The beautiful and diverse flora and fauna ofMalaysia are treasures for the entire world. The US iscommitted to helping protect these treasures," he said.
Meanwhile, JNPC director Abu Bakar MohamedSalleh pointed out that the state government hadembarked on the Johor Wildlife Conservation Project in2007 to spearhead conservation efforts in that region.
The 10-year project, he said, was meant for the con-servation of two core umbrella species -- the AsianElephant and the Malayan tiger.
Dr Melvin Gumal, Director of Malaysia Program atWCS, added that the grant would be used efficientlyand effectively to protect endangered tigers and theirenvironment. - Bernama
MYANMARSilver Wave says it will not drill in Hukaung ValleyWednesday, 11 May 2011 20:41 Thomas Maung ShweChiang Mai (Mizzima) - A representative of the parentcompany of the Singapore-based Silver Wave explo-ration & Production PTE Ltd has clarified that SilverWave Exploration will not drill for oil in Hukaung Valleyin northern Burma, home to the world's largest tigerreserve.
Lee Kon Lin of Silver Wave Energy PTE LTD hasinformed Mizzima that contrary to last week's pressrelease Silver Wave Exploration will not drill in Hukaung
(Hugawng) Valley in Kachin state but farther south inBlock B2 in Sagaing Division.
A press release by Silver Wave Exploration last weekstated that the joint venture firm would conduct oil andgas exploration in the ecologically sensitive HukaungValley which the press release incorrectly stated as blockB-2. The Hukaung Valley is listed by Burma's state-owned Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) as blockPSC-A while B-2 is farther south in an area of SagaingDivision called Zebyutaung-Nandaw
According to the Silver Wave Exploration pressrelease, the firm was formed recently as a joint venturebetween two Singaporean firms Silver Wave Energy PteLtd, BFI Holding Pte Ltd, and two firms from Japan, StarField Corporation and Star Holding Corporation. BFIholdings first reported on April 18 in a press release onthe firm's Website that Silver Wave Exploration woulddrill in Hukaung Valley. A similar press release issued bySilver Wave Exploration last week repeated much of thesame information including the apparent error aboutdrilling in the valley.
Both the press releases from BFI holdings and SilverWave Exploration also stated that 'Silver WaveExploration & Production Pte Ltd will commence drillingoperations in Block B (B 2) this year at a budget ofUS$100 million as the initial investment'.
Silver Wave Energy Pte Ltd while based in Singaporeis owned by Burmese businessman Min Min Aung andis part of his Silver Wave Trading group, a conglomerateknown for having close ties to Burmese generals whoare influential in the government.
Attempts to reach Giancarlo Tschuor, the presidentof BFI holdings, to inquire about the firm's investmentin Silver Wave Exploration were unsuccessful. WhenMizzima called the Singapore number on the BFIWebsite it reached a Singapore architecture firm thatprovided a Libyan cell number for Tschuor. The Libyannumber was disconnected. BFI holdings whichdescribes itself as 'a privately owned company and hasbeen formed and incorporated in Singapore' appears tohave conducted most of its business in Libya where itwas involved in several large scale projects.
According to the firm's Website, 'BFI is currentlynegotiating over 3 billion US dollars worth of projects'which includes the 'Urban Redevelopment' of Tripoli,Libya's capital. Recent political developments includinga NATO bombing campaign against Colonel Gadaffihave dramatically halted almost all international busi-ness projects in Libya and likely put a damper on BFIprojects in Tripoli.
Russia's Nobel Oil and Htoo trading received rights todrill in Hukaung Valley in 2008The exploration block that covers the Hukaung ValleyPSC-A straddles both Kachin State and Sagaing Divisionand covers an area of about 11,041 sq. km. InSeptember 2008, the Russian firm Nobel Holdings
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Investment Limited and its Burmese partner HtooTrading Company Ltd obtained the exploration rightsfor the area. It remains unclear how far the firms havegone with their oil and exploration operations in thevalley.
The Hukaung valley, much of it covered by an offi-cial tiger reserve, remains mired in controversy.According to the nongovernmental Kachin DevelopmentNetworking Group (KDNG), since 2006 the YuzanaCorporation has with the support of central governmentauthorities expropriated more than 809 sq. km(200,000 acres) of land in the valley from local Kachinvillagers.
KDNG reports that hundreds of families have beendisplaced by Yuzana's land acquisition. As with manyother such state-approved projects in Burma, the dis-placed families were not adequately compensated andmany were forced to say they were moved 'willingly',according to activists.
Yuzana has planted large plantations of cassava rootand sugar cane on the contested land includingthroughout the tiger reserve. Instead of hiring localpeople for the massive plantation farms, Yuzana hasimported workers belonging to the Burman majorityfrom the south of the country.
Reports from the area indicate that the Yuzana'soperations have created intense resentment among theremaining Kachin residents of the Hukaung Valley. TheBurmese military is reportedly giving the Yuzanaemployees military training to deal with unhappy localresidents. Yuzana is headed by Htay Myint, a real estatetycoon said to be close to Burma's generals.
In 2001, the Burmese military regime in collabora-tion with the American NGO Wildlife ConservationSociety (WCS) established the Hukaung Valley TigerReserve. According to opposition activists, local resi-dents were given no opportunity for input.
In 2004, the reserve's total area expanded to includealmost the entire valley of 21,890 square kilometers,creating what was heralded as the largest tiger reservein the world. Since the reserve's expansion, the Burmeseregime has encouraged logging, gold mining, largescale farms and the building of factories inside what issupposed to be a tiger and nature reserve.
At the Global Tiger Summit, representative ofBurma's military government announced that theywould double the Hukaung Valley's tiger populationfrom 50 to 100 over the next 12 years, an extremelyunlikely scenario given recent developments in the val-ley.
Ah Nan, a spokesperson for KDNG, responded thatthe 'military government's fine words about wildlifeconservation are just hot air. The tiger reserve is clearlyup for sale. Investors can put money on the table. Tigerscan't'.
NEPAL
Source: Dept. of National Parks and WildlifeConservationMortality: Nepal has applied an innovative technology'GPS-PLUS Radio Satellite Collaring aiming to under-stand the tiger ecology and its territory. An injured tigerwas captured at Chitwan National Park and released toBardia National Park in January 2011. The technicalteam regularly monitored the tiger and valueble infor-mation were collected. Unfortunately, a dead body of atiger was found in Babai valley of Bardia National Parkon May, 2011. Human casualties or injuries : A person was killed bytiger attack and another person was injured by tigerattack in the buffer zone of Chitwan National Park. Damage to livestock : Six buffalos, 13 cattle and 3 pigswere killed by tigers in Chitwan National Park and itsbuffer zone. Persons arrested for tigers poaching and illegal tradecases : Eight people were arrested in the early 2011with tiger bones in Bardia National Park. Similarly, fourpeople were arrested following the incident of tigerNamobuddha tiger killing.
Six iron traps were confiscated/seized which wereaimed to kill tiger in Bardia National Park. Punishment given : Chitwan National Park had passed a5 years jail sentence for conviction. Trans-bboundary conservationA trans-boundary meeting was held in Dudhwa NationalPark on May 2011. The meeting passed a resolution toconserve corridor forests, to give special attention fortiger conservation and to share information regardingillegal trade and poaching activities.
THAILANDThai police arrest suspected tiger traffickerBy TODD PITMAN, Associated Press - Sun May 22, 9:12am ETBANGKOK - Police have arrested a man suspected of beinga key player in one of Thailand's largest tiger traffickingrings, police and a wildlife conservation group said Sunday.
Authorities had been searching for the 49-year-old Thaiman since last year, when they issued a warrant for hisarrest after seizing a Bengal tiger cub during a separateoperation, police said in a statement.
Police believe the network is buying tigers and sellingthem to purchasers mainly in China via land routes inneighboring Laos and Vietnam, said Chanadda Thanikulapof the FREELAND Foundation, an anti-trafficking groupbased in Thailand.
The suspect was arrested Saturday in northeasternThailand and is being held in Bangkok, police said.
The tiger captured last year - now about 1 1/2 yearsold and weighing 220 pounds (100 kilograms) - was puton display for reporters during a police news conferenceannouncing the arrest.
Chanadda said the animal was being held by thenational park service and appeared to have been habitu-
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ated to human contact, leading authorities to believe ithad been bred in captivity.
Wildlife experts say the number of tigers in Asia hasplummeted over the years due mainly to habitat lossand poachers who sell their skins and body parts tobooming medicinal and souvenir markets, mostly inChina. Conservationists say the government needs to domore to eliminate trafficking networks.
Thailand is a hub for illegal wildlife trafficking. Lastyear, authorities at Bangkok's international airportfound a tiger cub that had been drugged and hiddenalongside a stuffed toy tiger in the suitcase of a Thaiwoman flying to Iran.
Earlier this month, undercover anti-trafficking offi-cers at the airport apprehended a 36-year-old man fromthe United Arab Emirates who was bound for Dubaiwith suitcases filled with drugged baby leopards, pan-thers, a bear and monkeys.
VIETNAMMajor tiger farmer sentenced to imprisonmentENV Communication <[email protected]>Fri, Mar 25, 2011 at 12:28 PMA long-time suspected tiger trader Huynh Van Hai,owner of the Thanh Canh Tourism Park in Binh Duong
province was sentenced on March 10 to three years inprison for selling tigers out the back door of his park,fourteen other people linked to Hai's illegal activities,including his son, received sentences ranging from 18months' probation to 30 months in prison. In additionto imprisonment, Hai and two other subjects were finedmore than VND 1.4 billion (about USD 70,000.00).
The Thanh Canh Tourism Park is one of eight privatezoos and establishments in Vietnam that keep tigers. In2010, a major investigation carried out by ENV foundthat the Thanh Canh Tourism Park was suspected ofinvolvement in the illegal trade of tigers born at thepark. Suspicions were based on inconsistencies inrecords maintained by the park and observations duringregular inspections carried out by ENV and police.
ENV would like to congratulate the Binh Duongauthorities, and in particular, the Binh Duong Police forpursuing this investigation that led to the prosecution ofMr. Hai and the other suspects involved in this case.This is a huge step forward in our collective efforts toend illegal trade of tigers in Vietnam. Binh Duongauthorities are sending a strong message to other tigerfarmers that may be engaged in similar illegal activitiesthey too may see the inside of a prison cell if they donot obey the law.
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TRAFFIC INTERNATIONALInternational Tiger Conference and 5th Global TigerForum: a TRAFFIC delegation attended the InternationalTiger Conference which took place on 28 and 29 March2011 in New Delhi as well as the 5th General Assemblyof the Global Tiger Forum on 30 March 2011, directlyfollowing the International Tiger Conference. During theconference TRAFFIC gave a brief presentation onTRAFFIC's contribution to the implementation of theGlobal Tiger Recovery Programme, which focused onfour elements of work - law enforcement assistance,demand reduction, capacity building and trade monitor-ing. The Global Tiger Forum Assembly endorsedTRAFFIC's plan to develop a demand reduction strategywhich will provide tools for Tiger Range Countries wish-ing to reduce demand for Tiger parts and products.
TRAFFIC INDIAWildlife law enforcement workshops: As part of theStrategic Development Dialogue (SDD) between theGovernments of India and UK, TRAFFIC India in associa-tion with the Wildlife Institute of India and the StateForest Departments, conducted a series of wildlife lawenforcement training workshops in the States of UttarPradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal,Kerala and Uttarakhand. Three hundred and fiftyenforcement officers belonging to various agencies suchas Forest Departments, DRI (Directorate of RevenueIntelligence), SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal), Police, MarineIntelligence, Railway Protection Force, Customs, Postaland Transport departments participated in these work-shops.
The training programmes and modules are tailor-made,keeping in mind the needs of diverse target groups.Common subjects include wildlife forensics; role ofCITES; evaluating wildlife crime scenes; setting up andhandling information networks; conducting search andseizure; developing documentation that leads to suc-cessful prosecution in a court of law and more. Theseprogrammes also enable TRAFFIC India to share knowl-edge about the new tools and technology that arerequired to combat poaching gangs and to break thewildlife trade nexus across regions.
Sniffer Dog Training programme: Six sniffer dogstrained to detect illegal wildlife products such as Tigerskin and bone, Leopard skin and bone and bear bile areregularly being used for patrolling by the forest depart-ments of Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh andJharkhand.
Deep Search Metal Detectors (DSMDs): TRAFFIC India
continues to provide and encourage use of Deep SearchMetal Detectors for anti-poaching surveillance anddetection of traps/snares planted by the poachers in theprotected areas. In the last two years, TRAFFIC has dis-tributed DSMDs in 13 Tiger Reserves and 5 more Tigerbearing areas across 10 States. In the last three months,one DSMD each has been given to Lansdowne ForestDivision and Chakrata Forest Division (Uttarakhand),Kerala Forest Department, Andhra Pradesh ForestDepartment and West Bengal Forest Department.Looking at the success these DSMD have had in last fewyears in India, staff based at a National Park in southernAfrica have requested TRAFFIC India to help themimplement the same model at the Park.
5th Indo-NNepal trans-bboundary dialogue: TRAFFIC Indiaparticipated in the 5th Indo-Nepal trans-boundary dia-logue organised at Dudhwa Tiger Reserve on 16-17 May2011. Special emphasis was placed on the protection ofimportant flagship species such as the Tiger, Rhino andElephants. The meeting was organised by WWF-Indiaalong with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and theGovt. of Nepal.
Enforcement assistance: TRAFFIC India helped generateactionable information for curbing illegal wildlife trade.Through TRAFFIC India's established information net-works, Tiger, rhino and elephant poaching incidentswere averted in various parts of the country. Severalseizures and arrests were made.
SAWEN: TRAFFIC India helped co-ordinate, and provid-ed inputs at the second meeting of the South AsiaExperts Group on Illegal Wildlife Trade in Bhutan on 29-30 January 2011 where the eight countries of SouthAsia-India, Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh,Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka- joined forces andestablished the South Asia Wildlife EnforcementNetwork (SAWEN).
Sri Lanka Wildlife Enforcement Network: As part of theinitiatives undertaken to catalyse efforts for regional co-operation in fighting wildlife crime, TRAFFIC Indiahelped organise an important meeting in January 2011that brought together various enforcement agencies ofSri Lanka and saw the birth of the Sri Lanka WildlifeEnforcement Network (SLaWEN).
Don't Buy Trouble campaign: TRAFFIC India's "Don'tBuy Trouble" campaign advises tourists to be carefulwhen buying souvenirs during their travels to India. Thecampaign has been well received by forest departmentsall across India. Various departments have requested
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News from International NGOs/Agencies:
additional sets of posters for display at gates of NationalParks and interpretation centers. Over 3300 sets of theposters have been sent to various forest departments,customs, police, border security forces, wildlife resorts,tourist offices etc for display and distribution.
TRAFFIC India has revamped its consumer awarenessleaflet- "Are you committing a Crime? Think before youbuy". The new design will help provide a fresh appealto the communiqué and is now available for distribution
TRAFFIC India's five minute film "Don't Buy Trouble"which captures glimpses of the burgeoning illegalwildlife trade in India that threatens the country's pre-cious flora and fauna is now available in Hindi. TheHindi version of the film entitled "Musibat Na MoleLein" was released during a wildlife law enforcementtraining workshop in Mumbai in January this year.
TRAFFIC EAST ASIATRAFFIC/WWF Campaign Listen to the Tiger, Beijing,27th January 2011-In the last days of the Chinese Yearof the Tiger, TRAFFIC and WWF China launched thecampaign website www.listentothetiger.com. In thefirst phase of the campaign, the website urges thoseconcerned over the plight of wild Tigers to register theirsupport for wild Tigers. After every 50th visitor registerstheir support, a Tiger's roar is played. The website aimsto make people realize that without their continuedsupport and with only a handful of wild Tigers left inChina, the Tiger's roar could fade away before the nextYear of the Tiger in 2022.
Workshop on internet trade in endangered species: On23-26 May 2011, the third workshop on the trade con-trol of endangered species products was held inQingdao, China. The workshop was attended by severalgovernmental agencies responsible for control of inter-net and wildlife trade in China, 7 internet advertisingwebsites as well as TRAFFIC, WCS and IFAW. At theworkshop, TRAFFIC China presented the results of theirinternet monitoring of the trade in Tiger, ivory, rhinoand hawksbill products from July 2010 to April 2011. Ingeneral, as enforcement and awareness increased, thevolume of illegal wildlife advertisements on ChineseInternet websites has decreased. However, several web-sites were still found to allow illegal advertising of Tigerand other endangered species' products.
Workshop on wildlife survey methodology, 18 April2011, Kunming city. During this workshop, organizedby the Chinese CITES MA, TRAFFIC China was invited togive a presentation on the markets for illegal wildlifetrade (especially for Tiger, leopard, ivory, rhino andhawksbill) and the methodologies used by TRAFFIC tosurvey these markets. After the workshop, TRAFFIC sup-ported 10 Chinese CITES MA branches to monitor local
markets and develop enforcement actions.
TRAFFIC SOUTHEAST ASIATiger Futures: Mainstreaming Conservation in LargeLandscapes. This project, funded by the World Bank GEFand co-ordinated by TRAFFIC and the WildlifeConservation Society (WCS), aims to strengthen inter-governmental co-operation on tiger trade enforcementand to facilitate cross-border exchanges betweenVietnam, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Indonesia to improveco-operation and enforcement. Activities under this pro-ject in the last six months include the following threeworkshops, which also supported the countries' com-mitments under the ASEAN Wildlife EnforcementNetwork:Vietnam - Cambodia workshop - From 27-28th April,TRAFFIC co-ordinated with the Vietnam Administrationof Forestry to host a workshop for delegates from TayNinh Province, Vietnam and Kampongcham Province,Cambodia on strengthening collaboration to controlcross-border illegal wildlife trade. Delegates representedthe provincial government, CITES ManagementAuthorities, Forest Departments, Customs, Border Armyand Police officials from both countries. The workshopresulted in a signed MoU at the provincial level and wasthe first time leaders of the two provinces had theopportunity to create and sign an agreement whichidentifies clearly how they will co-operate and engagewith each other in controlling wildlife trade in theregion. Vietnam - Lao PDR workshops - In May 2011,TRAFFIC again co-ordinated with the Viet NamAdministration of Forestry to host two separate work-shops to strengthen cross-border wildlife trade controlbetween Vietnam and Lao PDR at the provincial level.The first workshop was held 23-24th May for officialsfrom Quang Tri Province in central Vietnam andSavannakhet Province, Lao PDR. The second workshopwas on 26-27th May for officials from Quang BinhProvince, Vietnam and Khammouane Province, Lao PDR.Participants from, national CITES MAs, ForestryDepartments, and provincial level Customs and BorderArmy, among others, met to exchange information onwildlife trade between the two countries and developstrategies for enhanced collaboration. Both workshops resulted in signed MoUs between theprovinces to support policy, capacity-building, informa-tion sharing, and co-ordination on investigations andprosecutions on issues of illegal wildlife trade acrossborders.
Don't Buy Trouble Campaign in Vietnam: In May 2011,as the holiday season got underway, TRAFFIC celebratedthe first anniversary of the "Don't Buy Trouble" cam-paign at Vietnam's Noi Bai airport. The campaign, whichfeatures a permanent display at the airport aboutwildlife trade, is estimated to have been viewed byaround 4 million passengers who fly through Noi Bai
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each year.The campaign was implemented in part thanks to fund-ing from the Intrepid Travel tour company, whose gen-erous donations support TRAFFIC's work in South-EastAsia. The Foundation's donations have supportedTRAFFIC's activities in South-East Asia including capacitybuilding with enforcement officials, market monitoringand research and raising public awareness of wildlifetrade issues.
Malaysia - Where's My Mama? Campaign: In April2011 TRAFFIC Southeast Asia and Body Shop Malaysialaunched the 'Where's My Mama?' campaign, whichdraws attention to the illegal pet trade. Every day,young wild animals are orphaned when their mothersare captured or slaughtered for the illegal wildlife trade.Many young are also taken from the wild and end up inthe illegal trade because someone wants a cute pet. Thecampaign urges the public to consider the impact oftheir purchases and choice of pets. The campaign fea-tures the Tiger, orang-utan and bear, all of which areaffected by the illegal pet trade. To raise awareness on the issue, TRAFFIC Southeast Asiais running an online awareness campaign from itsFacebook page, featuring photos, factsheets, news andarticles by experts in the field on the three species. TheBody Shop will also carry the campaign message on itsrecycled paper bags and ask the public to report illegalwildlife trade to a wildlife crime hotline. The hotline ismanaged by the Malaysian Conservation Alliance forTigers, a coalition of wildlife conservation bodies inMalaysia, which includes TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.
INTERPOL79th GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTIONSubject: Sustainable Environmental Crime ProgrammeThe ICPO-INTERPOL General Assembly meeting in Doha,Qatar, from 8 to 11 November2010 at its 79th session:DEEPLY CONCERNED about the impact that environ-mental crime can have on the planet, the environment,biodiversity and human life, TROUBLED by the influence that environmental crimehas on the global economy and security,RECOGNIZING that environmental crime is not restrictedby borders and involves organized crime which engagein other crime types including murder, corruption, fraudand theft,BEARING IN MIND the long-standing commitment byINTERPOL to fighting environmental crime, evidenced byAGN/61/RES/12 recommending that INTERPOL form theEnvironmental Crime Committee,ACKNOWLEDGING that environmental law enforcementis not always the responsibility of one national agency,but rather, is multi-disciplinary in nature due to thecomplexity and diversity of the crime type which canencompass disciplines such as wildlife, pollution, fish-
eries, forestry, natural resources and climate change,with reaching effect into other areas of crime,TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that there is a vital need for aglobal response to combating environmental crime andthat INTERPOL, as the largest international police orga-nization, should play a leading role in supporting theinternational enforcement efforts,CONSIDERING that not one national agency is responsi-ble for enforcing environmental laws, that there is aneed for these responsible agencies to be connectedwith INTERPOL and the National Central Bureaus andthat these agencies contribute to the enforcementefforts alongside the international police community,URGES the member countries and partner organizationsof INTERPOL to support the Organization by making vol-untary financial contributions or, in the case of membercountries, by seconding specialized personnel in supportof the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme;URGES the National Central Bureaus to support theEnvironmental Crime Programme by connecting withthe responsible national agencies and encouraging theirinvolvement and support.
INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW)Big cat collar beeps at Manas - Translocated tiger locat-ed after eight months; forest official attacked atIslampurJorhat, Jan. 14: Forest officials heaved sigh of reliefwhen a Royal Bengal tiger, captured in Sivasagar districtafter being embroiled in man-animal conflict andreleased at Manas National Park after being fitted witha radio collar about eight months ago, was located acouple of days back.This was the first tiger in the state to have been fittedwith a radio collar. The radio collar was fitted by the International Fund forAnimal Welfare-Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW-WTI). "We have been trying to track the tiger for severalmonths now but in vain. However, the tiger was caughton camera a few days back. It's safe and looks healthy,"the forest official told The Telegraph. The adult male tiger was tranquillised and capturedfrom a human settlement by the forest department withassistance from the IFAW-WTI in March last year. It hadkilled two persons in Sivasagar district. After short-listing three potential areas, Manas NationalPark was decided on as the most suitable place for thetiger. Accordingly, it was radio-collared for post-releasemonitoring and released at Manas. Although the post-release monitoring continued, no sig-nals were received from the tiger's collar after a monthfrom its release. "We began receiving the signal again since mid-November, after a long gap. It was photo-captured oncamera traps placed by Aaranyak, ATREE and WWF-India at Manas only a few days back. We are continuingto track it, though the signals received are inconsistent
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as the battery on the radio collar is dying. The radio col-lar is expected to drop off any time now," BhaskarChoudhury, an official of the WTI, said.He said the best part, however, was the fact that therehas no reports of direct conflict between the tiger andpeople residing near Manas. "There are no reports ofthe tiger killing any cattle in the last few months,"Choudhury said.With no reports of attacks on humans reported sincethe tiger was released at Manas, translocation of a con-flict tiger at a different location promises to strengthenthe case for rehabilitation of tigers that accidentallycome into contact with people. "The photographs acquired through camera-traps indi-cate its survival in the wild. And there has been noreport of attacks on people by this tiger since its release,presenting hope that rehabilitation can be a viableoption for tigers involved in conflicts," another officialof the WTI said. He said generally tigers involved in killing of humans aresent to zoos after being captured and in most casesthese animals are killed. "When tigers involved in conflict are captured, a nag-ging fear of further conflict sways the decision againstthese animals; they are put away 'safely' in zoos.Additionally, adult males have a 'homing' tendency,raising doubts on the success of such translocation.However, in this case, the authorities took a call infavour of giving the animal another chance and it haspaid off," the official said.
Vivek's arrival boosts count of Royal Bengal tigers atVan ViharJune 16, 2011 11:53:35 PMThe newly arrived tiger 'Vivek' at Van Vihar is likely tostrengthen the gene pool of the big cats at the park.The four-year-old orphaned tiger, shifted recently froma rehabilitation centre in Assam to Van Vihar, hasbrought cheers to park officials and visitors as well.
The tiger, christened Vivek, was brought to Van Viharon Friday evening after a five-day journey covering2012km on road from the Centre for WildlifeRehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kazirangain Assam recently.The park official said that with the arrival of Vivek, thecount of Royal Bengal tigers at Van Vihar has reached10 and breeding among the big cats is likely to get aboost. "Being a wild tiger, Vivek is expected to benefitthe gene pool of tigers at Van Vihar," told one of parkofficials.The tiger was rescued from Methoni tea estate nearKaziranga National Park in 2007 when it was barely sixmonths old. The cub was found poisoned and in a criti-cal condition when rescued by a team of forest officialsand International Fund for Animal Welfare-Wildlife Trustof India (IFAW-WTI) veterinarians. The carcass of anoth-er cub was found nearby and their mother was notlocated.Since then, Vivek was hand-raised at the Centre forWildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) nearKaziranga, jointly run by IFAW-WTI and the state forestdepartment. Van Vihar National Park is a notified pro-tected area and modern zoo-hosting animals in nearnatural conditions."Vivek has not shown any sign of stress or discomfortsince its arrival at Van Vihar. He has been very friendlyand seems to be happy with the new location," saidone of the park official. The tiger is kept in a 1,000-sqmetre-enclosure with two chambers fitted with coolersto help him beat the summer heat. There is also a waterhole inside the enclosure.Significantly, the Van Vihar is struggling in terms oftiger reproduction in the past one-decade or so. The lastsuccessful reproduction was witnessed at Van Vihar in2003, when white tigress Rini had given birth to cubsShweta and Palash. Recently, a park tigress Basni hadgiven birth to two cubs but unfortunately both of themdied after suffering different health problems.
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WILDLIFE CONSERVATION NEPALOn February 24, 2011, with the intelligence fromWildlife Conservation Nepal, the Crime InvestigatingBureau of Nepal Police and WCN team seized 15 kilosof fresh tiger bone in Birgunj, Parsa with three poach-ers. They are Jarsi Chaudhari age 40, Sailendra basnet,32 and Dipendra Chaudhari 19. Jarsi Chaudhari alsoknown as Bora Pangey (in local language the name indi-cates a shooter) had been evading park officials for along time in poaching cases. He alone may have killedmany tigers and rhinos. The communities from his local-ity were afraid to speak against him fearing reprisal. It isnow confirmed that poaching will come down by atleast 30% in Parsa. In the preliminary investigation,Chaudhari mentioned Buddhi Bahadur Rai as an activepartner. And when the park and the police authoritieswent to arrest Rai, they found a fresh tiger paw in thehouse confirming Rai's involvement in tiger poaching.Rai is still absconding. On March 5, 2011, South of Kathmandu valley,Chapagaon, Lalitpur district, a leopard skin with fourtraders were arrested by Crime Investigation Bureau andWCN. They are Maila Lama age 50, Bijaya Lama 25,Santa Man Tamang 26 and Ajay Tamang 32. On March 23, 2011, a fresh leopard skin measuringover 8 feet was seized by CIB through the intelligenceof WCN at Dhulikhel, Banepa east of Kathmandu valley.The skinning was done by an expert because the leop-ard skin was supple and finely stitched throughout. Thelower and upper jaw was still intact. Three traders werearrested in this connection and they are Jit BahadurSyangden age 51, Kancha Lama 28 and Ram BahadurLama 31. Similarly on March 29, 2011, WCN intelligence led to aseizure of a large tiger skin along with 8kg 800gm tigerbone. Two poachers were arrested and they are, AmitKumar Gole Lama age 42 and Devendra Kumar MoktanLama 53. The sting operation was done by CIB NepalPolice, Chitwan National Park officials, Nepal Army andWCN team. The tiger skin seemed to be fresh and mea-sured 340 cm in length.
THE CORBETT FOUNDATIONSECURING TIGERS THROUGH MITIGATION OF HUMAN-TIGER CONFLICT AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION1. Interim Relief Scheme (IRS)The Corbett Tiger Reserve, located in the foothills of theHimalayas, acts as a significant conservation unit underthe Project Tiger Scheme of the Government of India forthe conservation of tiger. There are about 250 villagesand 25 Gujjar (local tribe) settlements located in andaround the buffer zone of the Corbett Tiger Reserve(CTR) and adjoining forest divisions. One of the majorcauses of conflict in CTR is depredation of livestock by
tigers and leopards, and crop damage by wild herbi-vores like Spotted Deer, Sambar, Wild Boar, Blue Bulland Asian Elephant. This creates resentment amongpeople against both wildlife and the forest department.Human-wildlife conflict is the most challenging threat tothe conservation of tigers in such a human dominatedlandscape. With the objective of alleviating this conflictsituation, TCF launched the "Cattle CompensationScheme" in 1995 to give ex-gratia financial assistanceto the owner of the cattle killed by a tiger or leopard inand around the buffer zone of CTR. WWF-India hasbeen a partner in this scheme since 1997. The CattleCompensation Scheme was eventually renamed as theInterim Relief Scheme.TCF also provides monetary assis-tance to villagers mauled or killed by wild animals.
2. Medical ProgrammeThe goal of TCF's Medical Programme (started in 1994-95) was to establish a relationship of mutual trustbetween the organization and the people living in andaround CTR by extending humanitarian assistance. Itwas realized that if the local communities were to bewon over to the cause of conservation some reciprocalbenefits would have to be provided to them. TCFbelieves that healthy individuals alone can contribute toa healthy environment. With this aim, TCF started anOut Patient Department (OPD) clinic from its office inCorbett. However, it was soon realized that a clinic at afixed place would not suffice and an outreach strategywas necessary for the area. Campsites were identified inand around the Buffer Zone of CTR and adjacent forestdivisions and a monthly schedule of camps for each sitewas designed as part of the Rural Medical OutreachProgramme (RMOP). Villagers from approximately 150villages are getting benefitted from this scheme.
3. Environmental Awareness ProgrammeTCF has always believed that the involvement of locals isintegral if we are to achieve any measure of success inwildlife conservation. Initial contact exercises conductedduring the first few years of TCF's operation found thatlocal communities around CTR did not possess a clearconcept of the importance of wildlife and the need forconserving the same. Thus, the Awareness Wing of TCFwas born to generate awareness among the local com-munities about environment and wildlife conservationthrough its various programmes. During January-April2011, TCF has carried out the following activities as partof its Environmental Awareness Programme.Nature Walk for local school children - TCF organized anature walk for local students in a forest tract nearKaladhungi on 24th January 2011. 24 students andtheir teachers from 12 schools of Kotabagh block, locat-ed in Ramnagar Forest Division participated in the pro-
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News from National NGOs:
gramme. The children were briefed about variousplants, animals and insects residing in the forest, theirinter-dependence and importance to the ecosystem.Educational Dhikala visit for local school children - Aspart of the Platinum Jubilee Year of Corbett NationalPark, TCF in collaboration with the Corbett TigerReserve organized educational day visits for local stu-dents to Dhikala Tourist Zone of CTR. It is hoped thatthese trips would enhance the students' awarenessabout the importance of forests and the wildlife residingtherein, making them more sensitized towards the needfor conserving the same. Till date, 40 such trips havebeen organized and approximately 600 students havevisited the park to get close exposure of forests andwildlife. Painting Competition in Schools of North Zone of CTR -This year TCF launched its awareness programme in theremote North Zone of the CTR. This was initiated withpainting competitions organized in the month ofFebruary in schools located in Khadrasi and Kandanalavillages. The objective was to develop awareness amongstudents about wildlife and forest conservation throughthe medium of paintings.Regional and National Camps of "Kids for Tiger"Programme - The Corbett Foundation in collaborationwith Sanctuary Asia organized a 2-day regional camp on26th and 27th February 2011 under "Kids for Tiger"Programme for the five selected students of Ramnagarand Kotabagh area. Students were taken to Sitabaniforest located in Ramnagar forest division for naturewalk and bird watching exercises. Additionally, studentswere also taken to Himalayan Botanical Garden, Nainitalon an educational trip. The students learned about vari-ous rare important species of plants that are found inHimalayan region, and their medicinal uses. TCF participated in the National camp of KFT pro-gramme that was organized in Pench Tiger Reserve inMaharashtra on 6-8 May 2011. TCF team providedassistance to the student who was selected from variousprevious activities under the programme and his teacherto take part in the event in Pench, which was anextremely distant place for them. Interaction of local students with International digni-taries of Tiger Consultation - The Corbett Foundationteam organized an interactive session between 20 localschool children and well known tiger experts on 12thMarch 2011. Among the experts were George Schaller,Alan Rabinowitz, Joe Smith, and Steve Winter from thePanthera Foundation. Other important dignitariesincluded Bittu Sahgal, Rajiv Bhartari, A.S. Negi,R.K.Mishra, Brijendra Singh, Dilip Khatau and RinaKhatau.
WILDLIFE TRUST OF INDIA (WTI)Poacher of Sariska Tiger Reserve finally convictedDate: Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 9:43 PMToday, in a landmark case and first of a kind in India,
the Court of the Addl. Chief Judicial Magistrate-II,Alwar, Rajasthan convicted noted wildlife poacher Johruand his associates, Tayyeb, Ramzan,Noora and JiwanDas in a case related to Tiger Hunting in Sariska TigerReserve which happened in 2005 for 7 years imprison-ment and Rs.50,000/-.According B.S.Nathawat-ACF Sariska Tiger reserve thehunting took place in Routkhola beat of Akbarpur rangeof Sariska Tiger reserve. The case was investigated byRange officer,Akbarpur.Background: One of the leading poachers from SariskaTiger Reserve area, Johru has a total of 14 wildlife casespending against him in Sariska alone. Six of these casesconcern tiger poaching.Unlike Sansar Chand and Shabbir Hasan Qureshi whoare essentially wildlife traders, Johru is a noted poacherinvolved in hunting protected wildlife as well as illegaltrade. So far he has been convicted in two cases ofleopard poaching with his accomplices Ramzan, Taiyabetc. on 13.01.2009 and 23.03.2009 respectively. Hewas sentenced to subsequent jail terms of five years ineach of these two cases.Juhru had challenged his convictions before theRajasthan High Court, Jaipur Bench and applied for bailwhile his Revision Petition was pending adjudication butthe High Court refused to grant him bail. He then fileda Petition in Supreme Court of India requesting for bail.ACF B.S.Nathawat was officer-in-charge of the case inSupreme Court.On the basis of a misleading statement that 'he hadspent four and a half years in jail out of a total sentenceof five years handed out to him', he had succeeded ingetting bail from Supreme Court on 06.09.2010.However, the Supreme Court recalled its earlier order ofgrant of bail, when it was pointed out that Juhru hadspent only about one year and eight months in Jail.On 18.10.2010, Govt Counsel Prashant Bhagwati hadpointed out to the SC that inspite of recalling of the bailorder, authorities in Alwar jail continue to maintain thatJuhru is out on bail. Accordingly, the Supreme Courthad summoned the Superintendent, Alwar Jail toappear in person before the Court regarding the matter.On October 22,2010 Supreme Court during the hearingof this case issued directions to Registrar of SupremeCourt to enquire as to why the order of recalling of bailof Johru was not communicated to the concernedauthorities.The SC has also directed authorities to put Johru underarrest, according to BS Nathawat, Assistant Conservatorof Forest, Sariska Tiger Reserve. Later in December,2010Johru was apprehended from his hideout by a jointteam of Rajasthan Police and Forest staff led by theAddl. S.P of Alwar.Wildlife Trust of India assisted the Sariska Tiger Reserveauthorities in this case .It is likely that Johru and hisassociates will appeal to higher courts for relief. WildlifeTrust of India will watch and intervene in the higher
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GTFNEWS
Courts of law.Ashok KumarWildlife Trust of India.
WILDLIFE PROTECTION SOCIETY OF INDIA (WPSI)Sansar Chand's brother Narayan convicted to 5 yearsimprisonment5 May 2011Alwar: The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate II, Alwarhas convicted Narayan, brother of notorious illegalwildlife trader Sansar Chand to five years imprisonmentand Rs. 20,000 fine today. The case was registered in2005 and prosecuted by the Rajasthan ForestDepartment after the Sariska debacle.In this case, Narayan has allegedly admitted to purchas-ing leopard skins and tiger skins brought from Rajasthanand selling them to Nepali buyers. He has also allegedlyrevealed the modus operandi of Sansar Chand and hisassociates in crime.
Woman gets five years RI for poaching tigerPTI - Thu, Apr 7, 2011Lakhimpur (UP), Apr 7 (PTI) A woman from Haryana wassentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment, alongwith a penalty of Rs 50,000, by a local court for poach-ing a four-year-old tiger in January 2007.The tiger was killed in Kishunpur Sanctuary here onJanuary 7, 2007, following which an inquiry wasordered by the Uttar Pradesh government, DeputyDirector of the sanctuary Sanjay Pathak said.During the investigation, Dalipo, a female poacher fromHaryana, was named as the main accused. She waslater arrested and a case under the Wild Life ProtectionAct was also lodged against her and her accomplices,Pathak said.Chief Judicial Magistrate R K Shukla yesterday sen-tenced Dalipo to five year and three months of rigorousimprisonment and also imposed the fine, he said.http://my.news.yahoo.com/woman-gets-five-years-ri-poaching-tiger-20110406-231700-574.html
Two sentenced to 3 years each for smuggling leopardskinPTI - Thu, Mar 24, 2011Kurukshetra, Mar 24 (PTI) Two persons were sentencedto three years imprisonment each by the EnvironmentCourt, Kurukshetra, today on the charge of smugglingleopard skin.Both the convicts, Gianiram and Dharma, were alsofined Rs 10,000 each for the crime by the EnvironmentCourt''s Judge Gagandeep Kaur.The duo were arrested from Rathdhana railway stationby a team of Railway Protection Force and forest offi-cials during a checking in March, 2002.Four skins of leopards were recovered from the posses-sion of the duo after which a case was registeredagainst them and the trial was conducted in the
Environment Court here.
Three convicted for poaching leopard, selling skinVijay Pinjarkar, TNN, Apr 1, 2011, 01.07am ISTNAGPUR: In perhaps only the second conviction inwildlife crime in the state, three persons were sentencedto two years rigorous imprisonment (RI) for poaching aleopard and selling its skin. The ruling came after anine-year-long legal battle.The first such ruling in wildlife crime had come onMarch 21, 2010, when four accused had been sen-tenced to four years RI for poisoning a tiger nearNagzira in 1992.On Thursday, judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) SujitKumar Tayde convicted accused Shankar NagojiMeshram (45), Thoraj Narayan Avtare (40), both resi-dents of Ashti in Gadchiroli, and Narayan Dhiren Basad(35) of Ramkrishnapur, to two years RI and imposed afine of Rs 2,000 each.Acting on a tip-off, then Pench RFO SS Notey, conserva-tionist Kundan Hate, Govind Lokhande and AvinashNikam, all from Nagpur, had laid a trap on November20, 2002, at Shubham Lodge, Gadchiroli. Some of themposed as fake customers and caught the three accusedred-handed while trying to sell the leopard skin.RFO JD Gahukar, who is retired now, had investigatedthe case. He said the accused would have been set freeif the witnesses had not stood firm."The culprits tried to mislead the court by pointing fin-gers at each other when it came to revealing fromwhere the leopard was poached and skinned," saidgovernment counsel DV Donadkar. All the accused werepresent in the court when the judgement was pro-nounced."We presented a strong case. Convinced by the evi-dence, the JMFC convicted the accused under Section 9,44 and 48 (a) of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972,"Donadkar told TOI.There have been over two dozen skin seizures duringthe past decade in Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districtsbut there have not been any convictions. "Such lawenforcement action against wildlife criminals will helpcurb trade in wildlife," said Hate.
Seized leopard skins were to be smuggled to China Lalit MohanTribune News ServiceDharamsala, 28 April 2011The recovery of seven leopard skins from suspectedpoachers from Baijnath has brought to the fore sporadicincidents of poaching of endangered species of wildanimals in the protected forest areas of Kangra district.Department of Forest officials seized the skins on a spe-cific information provided by the Wildlife ProtectionSociety of India (WPSI) from Delhi. Sources here toldThe Tribune that WPSI activists got information regard-ing the deal between smugglers of wildlife articles and
GTFNEWS
28 June 2011
sellers of the seven leopard skins in Delhi.They informed Conservator, Forests, Dharamsala, ARMReddy about the transaction of skins yesterday. The for-est officials laid a naka near Palampur and caught fourpersons carrying the leopard skins in a vehicle.Later investigations revealed that Chatter Singh of JikliBhath village in Baijnath was the kingpin of the opera-tion. He was carrying the skins for selling these tosmugglers.All four accused have been booked under Schedule-1 ofthe Wildlife Protection Act. It prescribes a punishmentup to 10 years for killing animals protected under it.The officials said from initial investigation, it seemedthat one leopard skin was fresh. It seemed that thepoachers had killed the leopard recently as they hadused turmeric (haldi) to prevent the skin from gettingdecayed. The other skins recovered were old. Reddy saidthe protected forest of Baijnath had a good populationof leopards. It was possible that the poachers killedleopards in their area.The WPSI activists said the leopard skins were on theway to China. The smugglers were actively involved insmuggling parts of endangered big cat species liketigers and leopards. Almost all body parts of these ani-mals were sold in China as these were used in their tra-ditional medicine.A leopard skin and its other body parts cost about Rs 15lakh in the international market, they said. Earlier also,the WPSI activists had helped bust a nexus of localpoachers and wildlife article smugglers in Solan district.PALAMPUR: In the Dhauladhar hills, the population ofleopards has come down by 50 per cent in the past fiveyears. The leopards which were usually spotted in thehills of Palampur, Bir and Baijnath are not seen any-where.
Stop constructions inside Ranthambore, SC panel tellsstateTNN, Mar 15, 2011, 04.54am ISTJAIPUR: The Central Empowered Committee (CEC) con-stituted by the Supreme Court has directed the stategovernment to bring all such activities to a stop at theRanthambore National Park that violates the Wildlife(Protection) Act 1972 or directives of the apex court.The CEC directive follows a petition filed by BelindaWright, executive director of the Wildlife ProtectionSociety of India.In the petition, Wright had alleged that the state forestdepartment has been undertaking massive constructionwork at the national park which is violative of provisionsin the law.The CEC's directives to S Ahmad, chief secretary,Rajasthan, has also sought a response to the petition
from the state government.Sources said during her recent visit to the park, Wrightcame across massive construction work inside for a pro-ject undertaken by the forest department for construct-ing 20 big dams each costing between Rs 35 lakh andRs 75 lakh. Later, she filed a petition with the CEC.The department has already constructed more than 100small anicuts and 20 ponds. Excavation work is also onfor Bhanwardha Dam in the Berdha area with the use ofexcavator machines and explosives.Heavy excavator machines and pneumatic drills arebeing used and blasting conducted for the constructionsinside the park and wildlife experts pointed out thatthese activities are creating immense stress for the wildanimals."A number of cement anicuts and earth dams have alsobeen constructed around Galai Sagar while theTambakhan road has been dug out and widened with aJCB machine, apparently to facilitate use of this road bytourist vehicles going to Zone 4," a wildlife activistssaid.The Supreme Court in an order dated February 14,2000, has prohibited any non-forest activity like fellingof trees, removal of biomass and miscellaneous con-struction activity in protected forest areas without priorpermission from it.Wildlife activists feel that the current construction beingundertaken inside the park will create disturbance in thenatural eco-system of Ranthambore causing irreversibledamage.On the anvil is another anicut at Adi Dagar, beyondLakardah, in a nullah that runs from Lakardah toBakola. The area, however, has a number of perennialwaterholes that provide water for the wild animals,especially during the critical summer months. This iswhere the tigress Machali' (T-16) spent the summer of2010, making its kills around the waterholes."All the proposed and execution sites of the construc-tion are breeding areas of tigers. These dams will ruinthem completely. If construction begins, tigers will moveout from these territories -- something that can beattributed to the wide straying of tigers from the parkthese days. The flora of this xeric and arid environmentwhen exposed to excess water, which would get collect-ed in these dams, will be damaged. Similarly, the fauna,too, will be affected as the moisture content of the soilwill increase which disturbs the burrowing animalslargely," an expert said.However, forest department officials feel that last sum-mer the park was under severe stress due to scarcity ofwater and it is necessary to build additional water bod-ies to fight the arid summers becoming tougher by theyears due to climate change.
June 2011 29
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GTFNEWS
30 June 2011
1.Four officers, one each from Bangladesh,Bhutan, Nepal and Vietnam have success-fully completed the 3 months CertificateCourse of training in Wildlife Managementat the Wildlife Institute of India on 31stJanuary 2011 and have returned back totheir countries. They were sponsored byGTF supported from the RTCF grant of theUS Fish and Wildlife Service.
2. One officer from Nepal has successfullycompleted the Advanced Post-GraduateDiploma Course of training in WildlifeManagement at the Wildlife Institute ofIndia on 30th June 2011 and has returnedback to his country. He was sponsored byGTF supported from the RTCF grant of theUS Fish and Wildlife Service.
3. The Global Tiger Forum, in collaborationwith the Government of India and theGlobal Tiger Initiative organized anInternational Conference on Tiger conser-vation and Global Workshop onImplementation of the Global TigerRecovery Programme (GTRP), at New Delhi,India on 28th and 29th March 2011.
4. The Global Tiger Forum held its 5thGeneral Assembly on 30th March 2011, atNew Delhi, India, which was attended byall its members and several observers.
5. Mr S.P. Yadav, DIG (NTCA) representedthe Secretary General, GTF, at the 2ndmeeting of South Asian WildlifeEnforcement Network (SAWEN) in Paro,Bhutan, between 29-30 January 2011.
6. GTF to support SAWEN in organizing acapacity building/training programme offrontline staff of member countries onforensic/investigation of wildlife crimes atGandhinagar, India.
7. GTF and IFAW/WTI jointly organized a"Tiger Watch" programme in Indiabetween 16th to 26th May 2011. Underthis programme two field officers fromRussia visited tiger reserves in India.
June 2011 31
GTFNEWS
Of the GTF