Kathmandu Tiger Workshop 2009

The Government of Nepal is hosting the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop 2009 starting from 27 October for four days. The workshop will be attended by over 200 participants comprising policy and decision-makers, scientists, conservationists from all the tiger range countries, partner organizations and individuals who have dedicated themselves to the conservation of the wild tiger. The key partners of the workshop include CITES Secretariat, Global Tiger Forum, Global Tiger Initiative, World Bank, Save the Tiger Fund, National Trust for Nature Conservation and WWF Nepal. The main goal of the four-day workshop is to define strategic actions to save the wild tiger from extinction. The workshop will be inaugurated by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop (KGTW-2009) with the theme "Saving tigers is our test; if we pass, we get to keep the planet" is being organized to learn from existing plans and experiences and to integrate new ideas and start the process of creating a platform for sustained worldwide cooperation to save the wild tigers. Key cross cutting issues on tiger will take centre stage in the workshop. KGTW-2009 will be focused on the challenges, experiences and strategies of the Tiger Range Countries and putting these in the context of global experiences and best practices.  We hope to enable Tiger Range Countries to review their experiences to date and revalidate and up-date their strategies, identify urgent policy actions and activities as well as to define support to be marshalled from international groups and institutions to help them stop further decline of wild tiger populations. Tiger Range Countries' updated strategies will include actions to mitigate immediate threats, to integrate tiger conservation into the broader development objectives, to make wild tiger conservation economically sustainable, and to enhance and better align international support. 

The Workshop is being convened to support development of conservation strategy for tigers, pursuant to CITES Decision 14.70 and the respective decision of the 2007 Global Tiger Forum’s General Assembly, as well as to prepare for the 2010 year of the Tiger Summit to be held in the second half of next year. The Global Tiger Workshop will be followed by an Asia Ministerial Conference that the Government of Thailand has planned to host in January 2010.

The following are some landmarks in Nepal’ tiger conservation history:

1. Establishment of Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation and enactment of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and Regulation
2. Establishment of Protected areas in Nepal’s Terai and Inner Terai to conserve key wildlife species including tiger, rhinos and elephants and their natural habitats.
3. Preparation of a comprehensive Tiger Conservation Action Plan in 1999 and subsequently updated in 2008 
4. Adoption of planned protection of tiger by approving the Management plans  
5. Inclusion of Armed force for the protection against armed poacher  
6. Launching of landscape level conservation initiative - Terai Arc Landscape 
7. Buffer Zone initiative to bring local people into the mainstream of conservation, there by building harmony between conservation and custodian
8. Taking lead amongst tiger range country to strengthen the action by Global Tiger Forum
9. Constant monitoring of tiger, prey base and their natural habitats since the establishment of tiger bearing PAs.

Wild tigers are among the iconic symbols of global environmental sustainability and cultural heritage for billions of people around the world. We all share a growing concern for their continued survival over the next decade unless the current trajectory is changed soon through decisive actions and in some very fundamental way.

The Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop is organised with the following outputs in mind:

• Assess present situation, challenges and strategies for wild tiger conservation in the TRCs.
• Identify the most urgent needs and priority actions to be implemented in the Tiger Range States to promptly arrest decline in wild tiger populations.
• Agree on desired goals and effective monitoring indicators for conservation and manage-ment of tigers, prey and habitat including trans-boundary cooperation requirements.

The outcomes will be presented on the final day as the Kathmandu Declaration

The Workshop will serve as a learning platform on what are the relevant global experiences and concepts to further strengthen Tiger Range countries' plans. We have many world-renowned tiger experts in town for this week and will present their insights and experiences in tiger conservation particularly focusing on;

• National Input Documents of each Tiger Range Countries.
• Smart infrastructure and land use: How can we assure that infrastructure development is consistent with wild tiger conservation, integrity of the habitat and maintenance of prey populations within national and across international borders?
• Tigers, communities and the poverty trap: How to mitigate conflicts between tigers and local people, motivate local people to protect wild tigers and habitats?
• Suppressing demand for wild tiger parts and enhancing demand for live wild tigers:  How to change attitudes, which change the current dynamics of demand?  
• Detecting and preventing crime of poaching and illegal trade: How to detect, control and prevent killing of tigers on the level of poachers, traders, and consumers?
• Conservation resource needs and innovative financing mechanisms:  How to target current and create new resource flows to fill funding gaps without depleting resources for human development?
• Landscape management and capacity development: How to build capacities in research, monitoring, management, and communication skills?

Few side events are also lined up including the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Global Tiger Forum, meeting of the South Asia Regional Wildlife Enforcement Cooperation, Tiger Photo Exhibition and public awareness program, tiger rally by Friends of Zoo. 

For more information on KGTW 2009, please log on to www.dnpwc.gov.np/kgtw/index.asp or email the workshop secretariat at kathmandutigerworkshop2009@gmail.com