14 April 2016: The third Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation concluded with 13 Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) adopting the ‘New Delhi Resolution on Tiger Conservation.’
Through the resolution, range countries committed to: accelerate implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP); align economic development and tiger conservation; leverage global and national funding and technical support; recognize the value of tiger habitats for ecosystem services and climate change; emphasize recovery of tiger populations in areas with low tiger densities; strengthen co-operation at the highest levels of government; and increase knowledge sharing and use of technology, including smart tools.
The meeting built on and assessed progress toward the “Tx2” goal to double wild tiger numbers by 2022 as agreed to in the 2010 ‘St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation,’ the main output from the first-ever International Forum for Tiger Conservation hosted by the Russian Federation. A population assessment released for the 2016 Ministerial Conference, and compiled from International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) data and latest national tiger surveys, indicated an increase in wild tiger numbers for the first time in decades. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the number of wild tigers is estimated at 3,890, an increase from 3,200 attributable to an array of factors including increases in tiger populations in India, the Russian Federation, Nepal and Bhutan, improved surveys and better protection. Despite progress, the Resolution stressed that wild tigers remain endangered across TRCs, and while some populations have increased, the global scenario is still a cause for major concern, with tigers becoming critically endangered or locally extinct in some countries. That the increase in population may be due only to enhanced monitoring and survey efforts was cited as a cause for concern by the organization Panthera and in a “Statement of Concern by Tiger Biologists.”
The Resolution, which sets the pathway for the next six years to reach the Tx2 goal, reiterates and confirms former commitments of tiger range countries made in the Hua Hin Declaration on Tiger Conservation (2010), the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation (2010), the Thimphu Affirmative Nine-Point Action Agenda (2012) and the Dhaka Recommendations (2014). It also “urges” the Global Tiger Forum and the Global Tiger Initiative Council to continue their role as the coordinating bodies supporting implementation of the Resolution.
In concert with the meeting, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) released a publication, titled ‘Burning Bright: UNDP and GEF in the Tiger Landscape,’ which discusses projects supported by these agencies in Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand. The publication also describes how projects marry development goals, including achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), with ecosystem and tiger conservation. It also relays the interplay of tigers and traditional knowledge and culture.
The third Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation convened in New Delhi, India from 12-14 April 2016, and brought together over 700 stakeholders, conservation experts, donor agencies and foundations to discuss and advance tiger conservation issues in range countries. [New Delhi Resolution on Tiger Conservation] [Conference Website] [Global Tiger Initiative Website] [WWF Press Release, 14 April] [WWF Press Release, 11 April] [The GEF News] [Burning Bright: UNDP and GEF in the Tiger Landscape] [Panthera Statement] [Statement of Concern by Tiger Biologists]