WWF has welcomed the commitment made by tiger range countries to make new efforts to save wild tigers from extinction.

Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam pledged to work together at the first ministerial conference on tiger conservation, held in Thailand.

They heard that greater cooperation and political will are crucial in preventing the big cats from becoming extinct. Their numbers have dropped from an estimated 100,000 at the beginning of the 20^th century to less than 3,600 today.

“We are delighted to see a ray of hope for the tiger as represented by the tiger range countries’ commitment to work together to double wild tiger numbers by 2022,” said Michael Baltzer, head of WWF’s tiger initiative.

The conference heard from Robert Zoellick, the World Bank President, who said that without a more responsible and sustainable programme for economic gowth and infrastructure there would be no room left for tigers and other wildlife in Asia.

“The tiger may be only one species, but the tigers’ plight highlights the biodiversity crisis in Asia,” he said.

The meeting was hailed as a new development in the campaign to conserve wild tigers by conservationists, who said it offered hope by showing that it is now being embraced by government and key donors such as the World Bank.

“That this meeting is happening is hugely important,” said John Robinson, executive vice-president of conservation and science for the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

By Dan Sumners

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