GTI Partners press forward at World Bank

A video of the entire meeting, “Why Do Tigers Matter?,” can be viewed by visiting the following link:
http://info.worldbank.org/etools/BSPAN/PresentationView.asp?PID=2481&EID=1126

December 8, 2009, Washington, DC – Energized and optimistic on the heels of October’s successful Global Tiger Workshop in Kathmandu, partners of the Global Tiger Initiative spoke of new hope for wild tigers at a World Bank meeting Tuesday, but continued to push for urgent action to stop the bleeding on the front lines of tiger habitats.

Eric Dinerstein, Vice President and Chief Scientist of the World Wildlife Fund, opened, “In Kathmandu, something that we thought was impossible – to bring together the heads of conservation and range states to formulate an action plan, the beginning of a blueprint for the stabilization and recovery of wild tigers – was actually launched. I really do think that it was history being made.”

The GTI now faces greatly increased expectations post-Kathmandu, as tiger range countries (TRCs) have developed national action plans customized to their unique circumstances, and their fate now hinges largely on the proactive engagement of their political leaders and the help of the international community.

In addition to Mr. Dinerstein, panelists at the luncheon included Steven Monfort, Director of the Smithsonian National Zoo, Mahendra Shrestha, Director of Save the Tiger Fund, Judy Mills, Moderator of the International Tiger Coalition, and Keshav Varma, GTI Program Director, World Bank. They characterized the achievements at Kathmandu as “lift-off” for the initiative.

The actions taken by Nepal’s government at Kathmandu, the commitments of other TRCs, and making good on pledges of cooperation by international entities such as CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) and INTERPOL all worked as strong catalysts for the TRCs’ strong ownership of the revitalized tiger conservation agenda. This seemed to inspire participants at the meeting to push even harder for continuing action and delivery.

The latest developments in training and capacity-building of TRC policy-makers and practice leaders through the Conservation and Development Network, as part of the World Bank-Smithsonian Institution partnership, were presented by Steve Monfort of the National Zoo (see Powerpoint presentation below).

Developing and “operationalizing” the GTI as a real platform for wildlife conservation integrated into development plans were placed high on the agenda, as was the upcoming 1st Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation, scheduled for late January, 2010 in Hua Hin, Thailand.

With the Tiger Summit less than a year away, efforts are now going forward to outreach to the tiger range countries and to mobilize new donors, including development agencies and the private sector, to support tiger conservation and to help mainstream wildlife conservation and biodiversity into the development agenda.

A clear and measurable criterion now targeted has been labeled “Tx2,” in other words a commitment by countries to double the populations of tigers in the wild over the next decade.

Judy Mills, Moderator of the International Tiger Coalition, in her remarks commented, “If, under the Global Tiger Initiative, we keep courageously pushing the diplomatic envelope, I believe we can stop tiger trade and buy the time needed to bring back wild tigers.”

The lunch meeting was held at the World Bank Institute (WBI) in Washington, and was hosted by Sanjay Pradhan, World Bank Vice President, WBI.

Click to download the presentation given by Steven Monfort, Director of the Smithsonian National Zoo