| The government has played a proactive role to implement the recommendations made by the Kathmandu Global Tiger Workshop (KGTW) organised in October 2009 to save the endangered tiger species from extinction, said an official on Sunday. The Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, which is participating at the ministerial-level tiger summit scheduled for Jan. 27- 29 in Bangkok, will discuss the progress Nepal has made to conserve the tiger and its habitats. Shiv Raj Bhatt, spokesperson at the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC), said the government has decided to declare Banke National Park to expand the habitat of the big cats. Bhatt said plans are afoot to establish Crime Control Bureau and National Tiger Conservation Authority to curb wildlife trafficking and formulate strategies on tiger conservation as per the recommendations of KGTW. Other recommendations made by the fourday workshop include extension and maintenance of favourable habitats for tigers and adoption of innovative science and technology in conservation efforts. The Bangkok meeting will dwell on transborder cooperation among the tiger range countries and enhancement of institutional capacity of the stakeholders, among others. “The meet will focus on strengthening regional cooperation to address the illegal trade of tiger skin and its derivatives,” said Diwakar Chapagain of the World Wildlife Fund. The tiger meet will be attended by the heads of the states of 14 tiger range countries — Nepal, India, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia, Malaysia, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Laos, Myanmar, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Indonesia and Thailand. A 2009 estimate puts the number of adult tigers in the country at 121. |
