Representatives of 13 “tiger-range countries” are gathering in a three-day summit in Nusa Dua, Bali, to formulate a global recovery plan to rescue big cats, as they are now on the brink of extinction due to massive habitat destruction and illegal trading.
The Pre-Tiger Summit Partners’ Dialogue, opened Monday by Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan, is a crucial preparatory meeting for the upcoming tiger summit for heads of governments in St. Petersburg, Russia, in September.
Delegations will jointly formulate draft of Global Tiger Recovery Plan to preserve the species, with the goal of doubling the population by 2022.
They will also draft Leaders Declaration that will be brought to the September meeting, which will be attended by Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
“It is alarming that out of the nine tiger sub-species in the world, only six are remaining. In Indonesia alone, only Sumatran tigers still exist, while the other two sub-species have become extinct,” the minister said in his opening remark.
“We no longer have Bali tiger since 1940s and Java tiger since 1980s. In fact, the existence of Sumatran tiger is also alarming, so we endeavor to conserve them through a mix of strategic policy, regulation and action.”
The population of Sumatran tigers is currently only around 400, or about 12 percent of the global wild population. Their habitats have also decreased by half in the last 25 years, data from the ministry shows.
The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said that the global, wild population of all tiger species has dwindled from about 100,000 to an estimated 3,200 over the past century.
He admitted that although Indonesia has applied zoning system for conservation zones, the country was still weak in monitoring on the ground. “Destruction of habitats still occurs.”
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