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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Smithsonian Institution and World Bank announce new Program to help Save Wild Tigers
The
Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank Group have announced a new
program under the Global Tiger Initiative to help stabilize and restore
wild tiger populations and save this endangered species from extinction
in its natural habitats. The announcement was made with a webcast from
the Smithsonian Castle in Washington, DC on 19 June 2009.
According
to the World Bank's news release, poaching, habitat loss and other
issues have reduced the global tiger population in the wild to less
than 3,500, and the losses continue.
Under the new agreement, the World Bank and the Smithsonian's National Zoo in the United States will establish and support a Conservation and Development Network that will train hundreds of rangers, foresters, and other habitat managers in the latest cutting-edge practices in biodiversity management, with a specific focus on preserving and increasing wild tiger populations. The World Bank will dedicate more than $1 million over the next year toward these training efforts, and the Smithsonian and World Bank will work to expand the alliance to include other members and raise additional financing for implementation. A Year-of-the-Tiger Summit will be held in the second half of 2010.
G.
Wayne Clough (pictured at left), Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution, said, "Combining the Smithsonian's scientific and
conservation expertise with the World Bank's 60-plus years of
development knowledge will allow us to build a global network of
leading scientists, policy makers and NGOs with the critical goal of
saving the wild tiger."
World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said, "We are very pleased to join with the Smithsonian in this important and innovative new effort. Without urgent action, the tiger could be extinct within the next 10 years. Working together, we can unite hundreds of conservation practitioners and dozens of institutions across the tiger range countries of Asia to arrest the terrible loss of tiger populations and bring these magnificent species back from the brink."
The new Conservation and Development Network will link the leading knowledge institutions in China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, and other Tiger Range countries with globally significant centers of excellence in conservation science and professional training. The National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center located in the Shenandoah Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia, USA, will serve as one of the initial launch-pads for development of the Network.
The training should also lead to more effective measures against illegal trade and trafficking of tiger parts, and intensify surveillance, detection and conviction of poachers. In addition to promoting stricter implementation of conservation laws and laws against illegal trade and traffic, the network should allow countries to more efficiently share information about poaching activity, leading to more robust efforts to combat the problem.
Steven
Monfort (pictured right), Acting Director of the Smithsonian's National
Zoo, said, "The loss of the tiger would have implications much larger
than simply the loss of a charismatic species. The extinction of this
top predator signifies irreversible changes in functioning of natural
ecosystems and all the services they provide, in addition to the
erosion of the cultural and spiritual values that are associated with
the tiger. We're very pleased to see this important next step in the
progress of the Global Tiger Initiative."
The agreement comes one year after the launch of the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), a collaborative effort between the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institution, Global Environment Facility, the International Tiger Coalition, and other members to assist the 13 tiger range countries with their efforts in restoring wild tigers and preserving their habitats. Additional information about the GTI can be accessed through its new website http://www.GlobalTigerInitiative.org.
Editor's note: This is an example of a relatively small, non-traditional program that will undoubtedly involve many smaller projects. While involving relatively small amounts of money, these programs and projects can be quite complex due to the human, cultural, social, legal, logistical and other factors. These types of projects and programs also must be planned and managed properly, using established and professional methods. Let us not forget such projects as we develop bodies of knowledge, methods and technologies for program and project management. They are very important to the people and organizations directly involved.
Under the new agreement, the World Bank and the Smithsonian's National Zoo in the United States will establish and support a Conservation and Development Network that will train hundreds of rangers, foresters, and other habitat managers in the latest cutting-edge practices in biodiversity management, with a specific focus on preserving and increasing wild tiger populations. The World Bank will dedicate more than $1 million over the next year toward these training efforts, and the Smithsonian and World Bank will work to expand the alliance to include other members and raise additional financing for implementation. A Year-of-the-Tiger Summit will be held in the second half of 2010.
World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said, "We are very pleased to join with the Smithsonian in this important and innovative new effort. Without urgent action, the tiger could be extinct within the next 10 years. Working together, we can unite hundreds of conservation practitioners and dozens of institutions across the tiger range countries of Asia to arrest the terrible loss of tiger populations and bring these magnificent species back from the brink."
The new Conservation and Development Network will link the leading knowledge institutions in China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, and other Tiger Range countries with globally significant centers of excellence in conservation science and professional training. The National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center located in the Shenandoah Mountains in Front Royal, Virginia, USA, will serve as one of the initial launch-pads for development of the Network.
The training should also lead to more effective measures against illegal trade and trafficking of tiger parts, and intensify surveillance, detection and conviction of poachers. In addition to promoting stricter implementation of conservation laws and laws against illegal trade and traffic, the network should allow countries to more efficiently share information about poaching activity, leading to more robust efforts to combat the problem.
The agreement comes one year after the launch of the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), a collaborative effort between the World Bank, the Smithsonian Institution, Global Environment Facility, the International Tiger Coalition, and other members to assist the 13 tiger range countries with their efforts in restoring wild tigers and preserving their habitats. Additional information about the GTI can be accessed through its new website http://www.GlobalTigerInitiative.org.
Editor's note: This is an example of a relatively small, non-traditional program that will undoubtedly involve many smaller projects. While involving relatively small amounts of money, these programs and projects can be quite complex due to the human, cultural, social, legal, logistical and other factors. These types of projects and programs also must be planned and managed properly, using established and professional methods. Let us not forget such projects as we develop bodies of knowledge, methods and technologies for program and project management. They are very important to the people and organizations directly involved.