ISSUES

The following are the issues facing tiger conservation.

1. Inadequate database on area & population.

2. Shrinkage, fragmentation & degradation of habitat.

3. Decline of prey base of tiger.

4. Biotic pressure from increasing human & cattle intrusion.

5. Inadequate manpower for management & control.

6. Absence of adequate trained manpower to carry out scientific programmes

7. Shortage of infrastructure & equipments for control & enforcement.

8. Inadequate legal framework & weak enforcement machinery.

9. Lack of co-ordination with various enforcement agencies.

10. High man-animal conflict leading to apathy & hostility.

11. Lack of public appreciation for tiger conservation, resulting in reduced co-operation.

12. Poor funding both National & International, to carry out comprehensive programmes.

13. Inadequate programmes to address field issues and redress human grievances.

14. Inadequate schemes for intelligence gathering, incentive & rewards.

15. Forensic facilities & expertise inadequate to defend court cases properly.

16. Insurgency problem & poor law & order situation in some areas.

17. Very limited communication between tiger range states for harmonious approach.

18. Very little data available on domestic-consumption of tiger parts & derivatives.

19. Follow up of decisions of International conventions regarding tiger often poor.

20. Monitoring or surveillance on illegal international markets not regular.

21. There is lack of central repository of relevant information, both at National & International level.

22. Very little data is available on exact population of tiger, their deaths & disposals.

23. Wild tiger population in 4 (four) tiger range states have reached a critical stage. Immediate effective steps and programmes are needed, if these tiger populations have to be saved from extinction.

          The problem of tiger conservation is mammoth. Given the general economic status of the tiger range countries and the immediate pressures and priorities to which they are subjected, any effort of tiger conservation will be futile unless the issues are taken up in war footing and every body interested in tiger conservation puts their bit on the issue in terms of lobbying, expertise, co-operation and funding support.

          Global Tiger Forum could play a key role in terms of organizing training programmes. Lobbying, exchange of information and promoting co-operation between tiger range states and tiger consuming countries for evolving a harmonized approach to ensure the future of wild tiger world over in perpetuity, provided the tiger range countries strengthen the hands of the Forum by joining it, participating in its meetings and deliberations, sharing information on emerging issues to develop a consensus approach for this purpose and developed countries interested in tiger conservation also join the Forum early and pending joining provide adequate funding support to GTF to carry out its objectives and programmes.

DECISIONS OF THE 2ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GLOBAL TIGER FORUM HELD AT NEW DELHI BETWEEN 8th - 10th NOVEMBER 2001