Report on tigers released

BANGALORE: A report titled "Tigers of the Trans-boundary Terai Arc Landscape" was released on Wednesday at the second stocktaking meet of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP), being held in Dhaka from 13-16 September 2014. A culmination of collaborative action between the governments and forest officials of India and Nepal with the active support of WWF teams in both countries, the report details the status of tiger and ungulate prey species populations in the trans-boundary Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), and documents the movement of tigers between forests in India and Nepal. The assessment was carried out in seven Protected Areas and Reserve Forests in India, as well as five Protected Areas, three biological corridors (protected forests) and adjoining forest patches in Nepal. The report reiterates the importance of the trans-boundary nature of the Terai Arc Landscape, and the importance of maintaining existing connectivity in this landscape between the two countries. Speaking on the occasion, WWF-India Secretary General and CEO, Mr. Ravi Singh said, "The findings of the report on the tigers of the Terai are pertinent. Wildlife populations and ecosystem functions are shared across political borders and collaborative action between the Governments of Nepal and India as well as the continued efforts of civil society in both countries, are crucial to the survival of the tiger and other large mammals in this region. The Terai is a unique habitat historically known for its beauty and diverse ecosystem. A connected wildlife population across some of the Protected Areas in the two countries and the movement of tigers between them via corridors, serves as a basis for both Nepal and India to strengthen protection protocols and carefully plan the implementation of development projects." The report, an outcome of a unique initiative from both sides of the Indo-Nepal border marks a strong and positive beginning for improved coordination between the forest departments, government agencies and NGOs to help restore the critical tiger habitats in this region. The government agencies involved in the joint survey were the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) from India and Nepal respectively. The GTRP conference, reviewing the progress made in the implementation of the GTRP towards the Tx2 objectives that aim to double the number of wild tigers in the world by the year 2022, was attended by senior government officials from 13 tiger range countries, as well as by WWF-India's Secretary General and CEO Mr. Ravi Singh, Dr. Ghana Gurung, Conservation Program Director, WWF-Nepal and Mike Baltzer, Leader, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative and representatives from other governments, institutions and NGOs. Urging all stakeholders to commit to government-led actions and initiatives and maintain efforts towards projected goals and most importantly, conducting an accurate estimate of wild tiger populations in each tiger range country by 2016, the conference was an opportunity for governments to critically examine the progress made to date and accelerate action over the remaining eight years. Speaking at the event , Mike Baltzer, Leader, WWF Tigers Alive Initiative said "We are nearly a third of the way towards Tx2. There has been great progress but many governments still need to do much more if we are going to achieve our goal by 2022." (Source : The Times of India)