First ever Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference highlights the critical role tiger habitats play in the health of our planet and the urgent need for sustainable funding to protect them.
© World Wildlife Fund
Organised by the Tiger Conservation Coalition and the Government of Bhutan this two day event, held at the end of April, brought together high-level representatives from ten tiger range countries to discuss new ways of securing US$1 billion in funding for tigers over the next ten years.
The event concluded with the signing of the Paro Statement, a joint commitment to mobilize new and existing financial initiatives to fund tiger conservation, better monitor its impact and link the protection of tiger habitats to global agendas on biodiversity and climate.
Population rises but habitat declines
The last decade has been a complicated one for tiger conservation. Back in 2010 the world’s wild tiger population stood at an all-time low of just 3,200 individuals. But, after commitments made at the Global Tiger Summit in 2010, and the hard work and dedication of multiple stakeholders, those numbers have grown by 40%, with the latest IUCN estimate indicating up to 5,500 tigers in the wild.
Countries like India, Nepal and Bhutan, have all seen a healthy rise in tiger numbers and there are positive signs that wild tiger populations have stabilised in Malaysia and Thailand and are now slowly inching up.
Despite this progress, the situation remains precarious. In the last twenty years tigers have been declared extinct in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. Equally alarming, 97% of tiger’s historic range has been destroyed, degraded, or fragmented by human activities and this trend is continuing. Even where populations are recovering, the reality is this is only thanks to the ongoing efforts of multiple stakeholders.
As Stuart Chapman, Leader of WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative, and Chair of the Tiger Conservation Coalition explained: “One of the things we’ve learnt in the last 12 years is that tigers are completely conservation dependent. So as a conservation dependent species, we also have to recognise that conservation itself is dependent on finance.”
Her Majesty The Queen of Bhutan, Jetsun Pema Wangchuck who launched the conference in Paro, Bhutan. © World Wildlife Fund
Financing for the future
This dependency explains the conference focus on new and existing financing solutions. Without funding any progress made simply can’t continue. Initiatives discussed ranged from the Asian Development Bank’s Tiger Bonds to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Tiger Landscapes Investment Fund, which looks to support projects promoting the coexistence of humans and tigers.
There was also a chance to look at country-specific projects that have already had success and see if they can act as a blueprint for future financing initiatives. Projects like Bhutan for Life, an innovative financing program that has helped boost Bhutan’s tiger population by 27%. The scheme works by inviting external donors to partner with the Bhutan Government to fund the ongoing protection of the country’s protected areas and biological corridors over a 14-year period.
Habitats for a healthier planet
As well as financing, the other key component needed to ensure long term success is the commitment of all stakeholders, from governments down to the individual villages that live alongside the tigers.
There is a need to change the narrative, to show that preserving and restoring tiger ranges is not just for the good of tigers but benefits the whole planet. After all, these apex predators require large and intact ecosystems that are vital to maintaining biodiversity, sequestering carbon and also for providing essential resources like income and clean water to over 100 million people.
The United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration Action Plan, has identified 91 million Hectares (HA) of prior tiger range that has the potential for rehabilitation. What’s more, there is already plenty of habitat out there that is already suitable for tigers to move into.
Abishek Harhar, Director of the Tiger Program at Panthera, another member of the Tiger Coalition, estimated that there are over 700,000 HA of suitable habitat in South East Asia that currently doesn’t have tigers. This serves as both a sign of hope and an indictment of the wide-scale impact that poaching has had on populations over the last 50 years.
© World Wildlife Fund
Yet plans to restore and protect these important ecosystems can’t just be for the good of tigers and can’t only be led by NGOs and governments. It was therefore good to see the crucial role that local communities must play was repeatedly highlighted at the conference.
This is particularly crucial right now as rising tiger populations and fragmented habitats have started to see an increase in human-tiger conflicts in countries like India, Malaysia and Nepal. If conservation efforts are going to be successful and long-lasting then it is essential that indigenous peoples who live alongside tigers are fully empowered by, and directly benefit from, these projects.
Collaborative conservation
While the one billion pledge identified in the Paro Statement was symbolic rather than being tied to a specific investment it was a significant demonstration of a new shared sense of collaboration among stakeholders.
Attendees included high-ranking government officials from the ten tiger range states, private and public sector donors, thought leaders, international development agencies, and of course the scientists and conservation NGOs who are working on the front lines. Indeed, having talked to a few attendees the overriding feedback was optimism over the new levels of collaboration on display.
This hopefully demonstrates a shared commitment and understanding that protecting tigers and their habitats has to be a group effort, where skills, knowledge and expertise are combined for greater impact and the benefit of all.
As Chapman put it, “Landscapes with wild tigers are healthy and vibrant ecosystems which are critically important in a climate-changing world. Securing these tiger landscapes through sustainable financing will bring multiple benefits to the people and wildlife across Asia
A Walk on the Wild Side
One positive tiger conservation project that does combine community involvement, habitat restoration and science-led conservation is the MYCAT project and their ‘CAT Walks’. I am happy to say that my experience taking part in one of these walks last year was recently published in the May issue of Going Places, the in-flight magazine for Malaysia Airlines.
I absolutely love the illustrations that accompany the story, which were created by three of the region’s most talented illustrators. I really can’t wait to go on another Tiger Walk and really urge others to find out more about this excellent citizen conservation project that’s really making a positive difference to tigers, habitats and the local community in Central Malaysia.
Read the full story.