Is Conservation only a jet setting exercise? Op Ed in Pioneer

[Guest guest]

http://www.dailypioneer.com/228844/Fallen-on-bad-days.html

 

*OPED* | Wednesday, January 13, 2010 | Email | Print |

 

 

*Fallen on bad days*

 

*Anuradha Dutt*

 

*Everybody claims to be worried about the depleting population of tigers in

our sanctuaries where they were supposed to flourish but are on the verge of

extinction. Facts suggest that action taken on the ground remains

insufficient and marred by bureaucratic procrastination. *

 

This February 14, conservationists will converge at a global tiger meet that

will be hosted by India. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests will

highlight measures being undertaken to save these big cats. The country has

the distinction of harbouring almost half of the world’s tiger population,

which, unfortunately, is rapidly declining because of the illicit

international trade in animal parts. They are now said to number about 1,000

in India.The four-day Global Tiger Workshop, held in Kathmandu last October,

reflects the worldwide concern for saving this endangered species, whose

numbers are estimated to be a meagre 3,500 or less. In 2008, Mr Bivash

Pandav of World Wildlife Fund was reported to have said that till five years

ago, in 2002-2003, the estimate was around 5,500 to 6,000.

 

All the 14 tiger range countries were represented at the Kathmandu

conference: India, Russia, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, Laos, Thailand,

Malaysia, Indonesia, Bhutan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and North Korea. The

17-point recommendations included regional cooperation in tackling the

problem; and strengthening laws against poaching. In view of the magnitude

of the crisis, leaders of countries, where such trafficking is rampant, were

to be especially sensitised to the issue, and the need to conserve tigers on

an emergency basis. Nepal’s Forest and Soil Conservation Minister also

expressed his seriousness about reviving the carnivore’s numbers. The

Himalayan nation’s tigers are estimated to be a paltry 121. The Government

now plans to double the number in the next 10 years.

 

It is a difficult task, given that Nepal happens to be a key conduit for the

illegal trade in tiger parts, along with Tibet, China and some South-East

Asian countries. India, of course, has been the hunting ground for poachers

and suppliers. China and Tibet comprise two of the largest markets for

pelts, bones, teeth and other parts and their derivatives. These are used

for making apparel, in talismans, aphrodisiacs and in religious ceremonies.

In Asia, trafficking in animal parts is said to have crossed $ 1 billion,

being second to the arms trade. Kashmir, incidentally, figures prominently

in this crime network, not only as a conduit but as a recipient of dirty

money. Intelligence sources reveal that some of the funds derived from the

illicit wildlife trade are deployed to feed terrorist activities. It is a

vicious cycle, with crime engendering further crime.

 

Now with China having declared 2010 as year of the tiger, according to

Chinese astrology, conservationists fear a spurt in tiger poaching. The year

begins on February 14 and ends on February 2, 2011. Superstition and custom

are expected to combine so as to make the coming months even more hazardous

for the majestic creatures. While tiger farming is permitted in China, trade

in tiger parts is banned in all countries. However, people have been

lobbying with the Chinese Government — and these include owners of tiger

farms — to legalise the trade in animal parts within China. They want the

domestic tiger trade ban, imposed in 1993, to be lifted. The World Bank, on

its part, wants tiger farming, anywhere, to end as it poses the threat of

driving the endangered animals closer to extinction in the wild.

 

In the meantime, India, as the main refuge of the big cat, needs to act

faster to stem its decline. The World Wildlife Fund now lists the tiger as

most endangered in a list of 10 species. The other nine, in order of risk

perception, are polar bear, Pacific walrus, magellanic penguin, leatherback

turtle, bluefin tuna, mountain gorilla, monarch butterfly, Javan rhinoceros

and giant panda. Latest disclosures are utterly shocking. While the last

tiger census, using the camera trap method — considered more scientific than

the inaccurate pugmark technique — placed their numbers at 1,411, thereby

repudiating the earlier estimate of over 3,500 tigers, the current estimate

is reported to be a dismal 1,000. The results of the new census will be

known probably by early next year.

 

This is certainly discouraging as in the wake of the brouhaha over the

Sariska scandal, when all tigers in this sanctuary were claimed by poachers,

it was expected that the Ministry of Environment and Forests would clamp

down on poaching and do everything possible to increase numbers. Instead, in

a replication of the Sariska tragedy, the Panna reserve’s tigers all

disappeared. This, despite the upgradation of Project Tiger into a statutory

body, called the National Tiger Conservation Authority in September 2006,

and setting up of the Wildlife Control Crime Bureau in June 2007. In a bid

to deter poaching and trafficking, the Wildlife (Protection) Act was amended

in 2006 to make penalties harsher. Thus, first conviction invited a jail

term of three to seven years, along with a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. A

case of subsequent conviction was to be awarded a seven-year prison sentence

and fine ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakh.

 

But, as the old adage goes, the more things change, the more they are the

same. After all this, one might have expected a marked improvement in tiger

conservation. Instead, came the strange disclosure last year that Panna

reserve was bereft of tigers. When Mr Jairam Ramesh took over as Minister of

State for Environment and Forests, he made clear his intentions of reviving

the depleting population of these big cats. Almost a year later, he is

honest enough to admit that “Tigers are in stress in many areas of India”.

This is despite the sustained media focus on the imperative of saving the

animals, and handsome funding for the endeavour. International agencies,

including WWF, have been pouring money into the mission of reviving tiger

numbers and ending poaching. The 11th Five-Year Plan has allocated Rs 600

crore to save the tiger. But the results of all the planning and promises

are contrary to expectations. This suggests that action taken on the ground

remains lackadaisical and bogged down by bureaucratic procrastination.

 

*Before the February meet in India, conservationists will be conferring on

the issue in Bangkok on January 29. This probably sums up most conservation

efforts, confining them to a jet-setting exercise.

*