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Tiger numbers have decreased 95 percent in the past century and only 5,000-7,200 tigers still survive in the wild, says World Wildlife Fund.


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August 25, 2008 - Escaped lion, tiger force school lockdowns

August 25, 2008 - Wildlife officials catch missing tiger and lion

August 21, 2008 - The World Bank Joins Fight to Save Wild Tigers

August 21, 2008 - Attitudes Towards Consumption and Conservation of Tigers in China

August 21, 2008 - Kids from Down Under to the Land of Lincoln Help Save Wild Tigers

July 7, 2008 - Columbia, MO couple dedicates their lives to saving wild animals

The World Bank Joins Fight to Save Wild Tigers

The World Bank announced the Tiger Conservation Initiative in early June, as a new partnership to increase the resources available for the protection of tigers. This announcement brought together celebrities from Hollywood and Asia, and conservation leaders from governments and civil society to formulate new strategies for tiger conservation. The high-profile attention of this Initiative gives wild tigers a new hope of a range-wide recovery.

Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group, affirmed that the Bank’s commitment to support tiger conservation will be comprehensive. This initiative represents a vital integration of environmental planning and economic development. The World Bank provides financial and technical assistance to developing countries through grants and multi-million dollar loans.

Zoellick stated that, “Tigers are an umbrella species….the health of the tiger population is an indicator of biodiversity and a barometer of sustainability.” Tiger conservation faces both environmental and social challenges due to the complexity of habitat loss and degradation driven by expanding human populations and associated economic and development needs for infrastructure and resources. These threats to tigers are compounded by a recent surge in poaching and an active illegal international trade of tiger parts.

The international scale of the problem overwhelms the capabilities of individual countries attempting to solve the localized pressures on tigers. Zoellick declared, “[the crisis facing tigers] is a problem that cannot be handled by individual nations alone.” The Bank committed itself to five actions to help conserve wild tigers: 1)review the Bank Group’s projects in tiger habitats to learn lessons from the past that will inform future engagement; 2) facilitate country workshops and partnership to develop new conservation models; 3) develop strategies to address illegal tiger trade and awareness campaigns to counter the demand for tiger products worldwide; 4) develop alternative and new funding mechanisms for tiger conservation; 5) host a 2010 ‘Year of the Tiger’ Summit to review the status of tigers and their habitat and foster the necessary political support.

Zoellick also expressed the need to integrate the priorities of the environment with economic development activities. Economic development is necessary to create incentives to conserve land and to reduce poaching. Some of the World Bank’s previous investments in critical tiger landscapes were criticized by conservationists for having a significantly negative impact. Some remain skeptical that this initiative will bring significant change the Bank’s investments and its to affect the decline in tiger populations.

Importantly, Zoellick called for an evaluation of the Bank’s projects in tiger habitats to improve conservation efforts and mitigate the environmental impacts of projects supported by the institution. It is imperative that the development projects value the benefits of wildlife habitats.

Save The Tiger Fund (STF) staff provided expert advice to the Bank on the value that its contribution would provide to the range-wide recovery of tigers. STF will continue to provide information to ensure that the Bank’s efforts have the maximum impact for tiger populations. John Seidensticker, Chair of the STF Council, serves as the advisor to the Bank and is a co-author of the report detailing investment opportunities available to the Bank to promote tiger conservation.
 

 

 About the Save The Tiger Fund

ExxonMobil has committed more than $10 million over eight years to help save the endangered tiger. The centerpiece of this commitment is the Save The Tiger Fund, an international program established by ExxonMobil and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support international tiger conservation projects. Since its founding in 1995, the Save The Tiger Fund has supported more than 100 conservation projects in the areas of field research, habitat protection and anti-poaching efforts and public education programs in the U.S., Asia and Europe. In addition, the public has contributed more than $1 million to support these efforts. For more information on the Save The Tiger Fund, call the Tiger Information Center at 1-800-5TIGERS or visit the "5 Tigers" web site at www.5tigers.org.



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  SAVING TIGERS IS ULTIMATELY A HUMAN ISSUE

    Saving tigers is ultimately a human issue that involves working constructively with the communities that surround tiger habitat. The simple reality is that humans and tigers are neighbors, and it is a relationship fraught with hazards for both sides. To achieve lasting protection for tigers and their habitats, one must build awareness among local people that the survival of the tiger means a better life for their communities and families, and that a live tiger is ultimately worth more than a dead tiger. Achieving this requires hard work and an innovative approach rather than simply educating villagers about the importance of healthy ecosystems.
    "To save tigers in the wild, we have to work with people who live with the tiger," said Whitney Tilt, Director of Conservation Programs, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. "The Save The Tiger Fund is funding projects that work constructively to link the communities with the tiger habitat they surround."
    International programs and organizations are working together to stabilize the relationship between people and wildlife needs. Tiger habitats are being protected and rebuilt. Poachers are being rehabilitated to become tiger guards. Legislation has been passed to stop international trade of tiger parts. The effort of hundreds of international conservationists and projects has made these milestones possible.
    One of many international projects is the Khao Yai Conservation Project (KYCP) in Thailand. Based on a successful model pioneered in Russia that managed to reduce poaching of the Siberian tiger by 60 percent in just three years, the program combines sophisticated ranger training and equipment with rural development and community outreach program to the villages around the park. The program consists of rangers who upgraded their skills and outreach to workers who will focus their efforts on education and economic development in the surrounding villages. Professional poachers are highly knowledgeable about the forest and are recruited by the KYCP to work as rangers or guides.
    ExxonMobil has committed more than $10 million over eight years to help save the endangered tiger. The centerpiece of this commitment is the Save The Tiger Fund, an international program established by ExxonMobil and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to support international tiger conservation projects. Since its founding in 1995, the Save The Tiger Fund has supported 112 conservation projects in the areas of field research, habitat protection and anti-poaching efforts and public education programs in the U.S., Asia and Europe. In addition, the public has contributed more than $1 million to support these efforts. For more information on the Save The Tiger Fund, call the Tiger Information Center at 1-800-5-TIGERS or visit the "5 Tigers" Web site at
www.5tigers.org.

DEVELOPMENT OF CONSERVATION LEADERSHIP IN TIGER RANGE COUNTRIES IS CRITICAL

    While Western contributions to wild tiger conservation efforts are important, strong local leadership in the tiger-range countries of Asia is the most critical conservation element to affect real change. "Tigers do not have passports and do not respect national boundaries," says Dr. John Seidensticker, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, D.C., and Chairman of the Save The Tiger Fund Council. "Therefore national governments, with assistance from non-governmental organizations and corporate partners, are making plans to protect tigers and other endangered wildlife in sensitive, transfrontier areas. These areas may prove the most important refuges for wildlife."
    The Save The Tiger Fund has helped to increase the international collaboration needed for the survival of tigers in the wild, supporting local programs and local projects dedicated to habitat restoration/protection, anti-poaching, conflict resolution and trade reduction. To date, 112 projects in 10 of the 14 tiger range countries (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Russia) have received grants worth more than $7.3 million. Types of projects have included: field study and management; conservation education; captive management; anti-poaching, conflict resolution, trade resolution; habitat restoration/protection; conferences, publication, mapping; community conservation; promotions to generate awareness about the fund and its projects.  

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