28.11. THE GLOBAL TIGER FORUM (GTF)

The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) is an inter-governmental and international body established with members from willing countries to embark on a worldwide campaign, common approach, promotion of appropriate programmes and controls to save the remaining five sub-species of tigers in the wild distributed over 14 tiger range countries of the world.

Formed in 1994 with its secretariat at New Delhi, GTF is the only inter-governmental & international body campaigning to save the TIGER worldwide.

The General Assembly of GTF shall meet once in three years.

Goal:

To highlight the rationale for tiger preservation and provide leadership and common approach throughout the world in order to safeguard the survival of the tiger, its prey and its habitat.

Objectives:

♤ To promote a worldwide campaign to save the tiger, its prey and its habitat;

♤ To promote a legal framework in the countries involved for bio-diversity conservation;

♤ To increase the protected area network of habitats of the tiger and facilitate their interpassages in the range countries;

♤ To promote eco-development programmes with the participation of the communities living in and around

protected areas;

♤ To urge countries to enter into relevant conventions for conservation of tiger and elimination of illegal trade;

♤ To promote and carry out scientific research to generate information useful for tiger, it’s prey and its habitat to disseminate such information in an easily accessible manner;

♤ To promote the development and exchange among themselves , of appropriate technologies and training programmes for scientific wildlife management;

♤ To encourage range countries to prepare and implement their individual action plans for protection and growth of the tiger population and its prey base. Improvement of the habitat and common preservation programme can be taken up bilaterally by the range countries having adjoining habitats, but their implementation should be carried out separately by the respective range countries.

♤ To involve inter-governmental organisations in the protection of the tiger;

♤ To set up a participative fund of an appropriate size to engender awareness in all places where people consume tiger derivatives for eliminating such consumption of tiger products, and identifying substitutes, in the interests of conservation.

Global Tiger Initiative

An alliance of governments, international agencies, civil society, and the private sector united to save wild tigers from extinction

Goals of GTI

♤ To support capacity-building in governments for responding effectively to the transnational challenge of illegal trade in wildlife and for scientifically managing tiger landscapes in the face of mounting and varied threats;

♤ To curtail international demand for tiger parts and other wildlife that has been responsible for drastic declines in tiger populations;

♤ To develop mechanisms for safeguarding habitats from development through planning ‘smart, green’ infrastructure and sensitive industrial development;

♤ To create innovative and sustainable financing mechanisms for tiger landscapes including protected areas;

♤ To build strong local constituencies for tiger conservation through development of economic incentives and alternative livelihoods for local people;

♤ To spread the recognition among governments, international aid agencies and the public that tiger habitats are high-value diverse ecosystems with the potential to provide immense benefits-both tangible and intangible