The tiger, one of the most magnificent
animals in the world, is also one of the most endangered. A cat of beauty,
strength, and majesty, the tiger is master of all and subject to none --
except humans. Of the eight original subspecies of tigers, three have become
extinct within the last 60 years; and there are less than 50 South China
tigers left on this planet -- few, and possibly none, survive in the wild.
There are five different kinds or subspecies of tiger alive in the world
today. These tigers are called Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal,
and Sumatran. Their Latin name is Panthera tigris. Tigers are an endangered
species; only about 5,000 to 7,400 tigers are left in the wild. Three tiger
subspecies, the Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers have become extinct in the
past 70 years.
Poachers are continuing to exterminate the world's remaining Tigers. New
demand across Southeast Asia for the skins, teeth and claws of tigers is
endangering much of the great cats, particularly the Sumatran tiger.
Currently, the demand for Tiger parts is centered in several parts of Asia
where there is a strong market for traditional medicines made from items
like tiger bone and body parts. Volumes are sizeable and there has been
little enforcement action against poachers and traders
What
Needs to be Done to Save the Tiger:
- Local institutions and people Scientists who were closely involved in
managing tigers at the local level, Hemendra Panwar of India and Hemanta
Mishra of Nepal, pointed out an important lesson more than a decade ago:
unless local community needs are met, conservation of the tiger will not
succeed and protected areas will perish. Therefore, conservation programmes
must reconcile the interests of people and tigers. In most situations, a
sustainable tiger conservation strategy cannot be achieved without the full
participation and collective action of individual rural households whose
livelihoods depend on rights of access and use of the forests where tigers
live.
- Technologies for conservation of resources There already exists a wide
range of technologies and practices in forest and watershed management and
agriculture, both traditional and new, for conservation of resources. The
biological processes that regenerate forests and make agriculture less
damaging to tiger habitats take time to become established
- Use of external institutions Institutions, such as NGOs, government
departments, and banks, can facilitate processes by which local people
develop their sense of ownership and commitment. When little effort is made
to build local skills, interest, and capacity, people have no interest or
stake in maintaining structures or practices once the incentives for
conservation stop. Success hinges on people’s participation in
planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, which leads to the
formation of new institutions or the strengthening of existing ones
- Conservation of tiger habitat and of prey In many areas peripheral to
tiger habitat, grazing lands for livestock have been converted to crops or
degraded by excessive use; livestock is of poor quality and of poor
productivity; wood for fuel and building has been exhausted; and sources of
income are limited. The rehabilitation of the natural resource base of local
people is essential if they are not to seek their requirements in protected
areas. This requires ecodevelopment with the support and cooperation of
specialized government organs and the non-governmental conservation
community.
