Reports from various sources on the illegal wildlife trade linkages in various countries pour in and action is taken wherever necessary in respect of any connected crimes on Indian soil. The ongoing demand for tiger body parts catering to the traditional Chinese medicine and the practice of tiger farming in China are causes for great concern. This creates deleterious effect on the status of wild tigers in India. Alerts have been issued to the concerned Police and Forest Departments to step up vigil in the tiger habitat and its surroundings including bus/railway stations. Joint operations have been undertaken by various agencies to pursue linkages. The issue of illegal trade has been taken up for inclusion in the agenda for the Foreign Office Consultations with Myanmar and Nepal. A Special Coordination Committee, comprising various intelligence, security and enforcement agencies, has been formed and checks are conducted at the exit points by various agencies to prevent trafficking of wildlife articles. The milestone initiatives taken by the Government of India for protection of tigers and other wild animals are at Annexure.
Annexure
Recent Milestone Initiatives Taken for Conservation of Tiger and Other Wild Animals
Financial steps
Financial and technical help is provided to the States under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, viz. Project Tiger and Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats for enhancing the capacity and infrastructure of the States for providing effective protection to wild animals.
International Cooperation
1. India has a Memorandum of Understanding with Nepal on controlling trans-boundary illegal trade in wildlife and conservation, apart from a protocol on tiger conservation with China.
2. A Global Tiger Forum of Tiger Range Countries has been created for addressing international issues related to tiger conservation.
3. During the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties to CITES, which was held from 3rd to 15th June, 2007 at The Hague, India introduced a resolution along with China, Nepal and the Russian Federation, with directions to Parties with operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale, for restricting such captive populations to a level supportive only to conserving wild tigers. The resolution was adopted as a decision with minor amendments. Further, India made an intervention appealing to China to phase out tiger farming, and eliminate stockpiles of Asian big cats body parts and derivatives. The importance of continuing the ban on trade of body parts of tigers was emphasized.
4. Based on India’s strong intervention during the 58th meeting of the Standing Committee of the CITES at Geneva from 6th to 10th July, 2009, the CITES Secretariat issued notification to Parties for submitting reports relating to compliance of Decisions 14.69 and 14.65 within 90 days with effect from 20.10.2009 (Progress made on restricting captive breeding operations of tigers etc.). During the 15th meeting of the Conference of Parties, India intervened for retaining the Decision 14.69 dealing with operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale.
Reintroduction of Tigers
1. As a part of active management to rebuild Sariska and Panna Tiger Reserves where tigers have become locally extinct, reintroduction of tigers / tigresses have been done.
2. Special advisories issued for in-situ build up of prey base and tiger population through active management in tiger reserves having low population status of tiger and its prey.
Creation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF)
3. The policy initiatives announced by the Finance Minister in his Budget Speech of 29.2.2008, interalia, contains action points relating to tiger protection. Based on the one time grant of Rs. 50.00 crore provided to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for raising, arming and deploying a Special Tiger Protection Force, the proposal for the said force has been approved by the competent authority for 13 tiger reserves. Rs. 93 lakhs each has been released to Corbett, Ranthambhore & Dudhwa Tiger Reserve for creation of STPF during 2008-09. Since then, the guidelines of the STPF have been revised for deploying forest personnel in place of Police as an option-II, with scope for involving local people like the Van Gujjars.
4. In collaboration with TRAFFIC-INDIA, an online tiger crime data base has been launched, and Generic Guidelines for preparation of reserve specific Security Plan has been evolved.
Recent initiatives
1. Implementing a tripartite MOU with tiger States, linked to fund flows for effective implementation of tiger conservation initiatives.
2. Rapid assessment of tiger reserves done.
3. Special crack teams sent to tiger reserves affected by left wing extremism and low population status of tiger and its prey.
4. Chief Ministers of tiger States addressed at the level of the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests on urgent issues, viz. implementation of the tripartite MOU, creation of the Tiger Conservation Foundation, stepping up protection etc.
5. Chief Ministers of States having tiger reserves affected by left wing extremism and low population status of tiger and its prey addressed for taking special initiatives.
6. Steps taken for modernizing the infrastructure and field protection, besides launching ‘M-STrIPES’ for effective field patrolling and monitoring.
7. Steps are being taken for involvement of Non-Governmental Experts the ongoing all India tiger estimation.
8. Special independent team sent to Similipal for assessing the status, besides constituting State level Coordination Committee for redressing the administrative problems.
9. Issue of tiger farming and trafficking of tiger body parts discussed at the level of Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Environment and Forests with the Chinese Authorities.
10. Action taken for amending the Wildlife (Protection) Act to ensure effective conservation.
11. Initiatives taken for improving the field delivery through capacity building of field officials, apart from providing incentives.
12. Steps have taken for the independent Monitoring and Evaluation of tiger reserves.
13.Action initiated for using Information Technology to strengthen surveillance in tiger reserves.
14.Providing special assistance for mitigation of human-tiger conflicts in problematic areas.
15.As an outcome of the fourth Trans-border Consultative Group Meeting held in New Delhi, a joint resolution has been signed with Nepal for biodiversity / tiger conservation.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=64921
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