EU, China and India thrash out deal on tigers

March 27, 2010

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AGENCIES, Mar 22, 2010, 11.46pm IST

An agreement reached at a UN meeting on wildlife trade in Doha could see

countries treating illegal trade in tiger parts as seriously as arms and drug

trafficking, but campaigners have cautioned that words must be turned into

action.

The UK-brokered deal, which was the result of lengthy negotiations between the

EU and the tiger range countries, should see increased intelligence sharing

against the criminal networks behind the trade, and will build on recent

training provided by INTERPOL.

Parties to the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

(CITES), agreed to develop a database to monitor the illegal trade in tiger,

leopard and snow leopard parts.

Securing the involvement of the professional enforcement community is essential

to protecting Asia’s big cats, which are poached for their skins, bones and body

parts. CITES called for an urgent meeting of senior police and customs officers

before a Head of State tiger summit to be held in Russia later this year.

The news came as welcome relief for conservationists in a week that has so far

seen attempts to protect bluefin tuna, polar bears and coral defeated.

Alongside enforcement measures, countries supported an existing decision to

ensure that tiger farms did not supply the illegal market for big cat products.

“There have been many promises this week, but getting countries to actually use

these new enforcement tactics will be the real test of the commitment to ending

tiger trade, and saving the species”, said Debbie Banks, Senior Campaigner at

the Environmental Investigation Agency, and Chair of the Species Survival

Network’s Big Cat Working Group.

“Time is running out for tigers and other big cats. Tiger range countries and

consumer nations need to work together to reduce demand for their parts and

stamp out the illegal tiger trade”, said Avinash Basker, Legal Consultant to the

Wildlife Protection Society of India.

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Thank you for your compassion !

With best regards,

Debasis Chakrabarti

Compassionate Crusaders Trust

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