2nd Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation

Thimphu, Bhutan – October 21-24, 2012

The Royal Government of Bhutan is hosting the 2nd Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation in late October in the capital of Bhutan, Thimphu. Ministers from the 13 tiger range countries, who collectively endorsed the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation and Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) in 2010 in Russia, will discuss key achievements in implementing the 12-year strategy and also issue guidance on continuing momentum and ensure continued high-level political support.

The conference is co-organized by the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Global Tiger Initiative. Among the participants are delegations from the tiger range country governments and Kyrgyz Republic, senior officials from the World Bank and other international organizations, donor agencies, leading conservation civil society organizations, experts from the wildlife conservation community, and leading regional industry and corporate heads.

Progress on implementing the GTRP has continued on two tracks: tiger range countries taking policy and institutional action while donors are lining up resources. Habitat protection, managing protected areas, controlling wildlife crime, restoring populations in low tiger-density areas, and further resource mobilization will dominate discussions, while promising new conservation initiatives, such as the Indian Wildlife Business Council and Snow Leopard Initiative, will also be on the agenda.

The 2nd Asian Ministerial Conference comes just days after the Convention on Biological Diversity 11th Convention of the Parties concludes in Hyderabad, India, where nations are establishing and advancing national and international targets to conserve biodiversity.
Though Bhutan is a small country, it ranks among the most biodiverse in the world. Up to 70% of the country is covered in forest, large areas are set aside as protected areas, and the country offers a wide range of healthy habitat and prey for wild tigers. The population is estimated at over 100 adults.

Download and view presentations from the conference.

• ● 2nd Asian Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation – Presentations

In Bhutan, Conserving the Natural Environment and Biodiversity