Searching for Tiger Resources:
This week I start looking for information sources for both for both a Tiger Journal and the Endangered Earth Journal.
To start I am focusing on 'government' resouces. Next week I will look for non-governent (i.e. conservation organizations), and the following week I will be looking for endangered species information provided by individuals.
Following are ten government (or instituional) websites from around the world that have significant endangered tiger information from both an 'international' perspcetive and a 'country' perspective.
1) CITES:
CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between
governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild
animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
Widespread information nowadays about the endangered status
of many prominent species, such as the tiger and elephants, might make the need
for such a convention seem obvious. But at the time when the ideas for CITES
were first formed, in the 1960s, international discussion of the regulation of
wildlife trade for conservation purposes was something relatively new. With
hindsight, the need for CITES is clear.
IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps
the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and
development challenges. It supports scientific research, manages field projects
all over the world and brings governments, non-government organizations, United
Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and
implement policy, laws and best practice.
IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental
network - a democratic membership union with more than 1,000 government and NGO
member organizations, and almost 11,000 volunteer scientists in more than 160
countries.
As the principal federal partner responsible for administering the Endangered Species Act (ESA), we take the lead in recovering and conserving our Nation's imperiled species by fostering partnerships, employing scientific excellence, and developing a workforce of conservation leaders.
As we work in partnership with others, our two major goals are to:
1) Protect endangered and threatened species, and then pursue their recovery; and
2) Conserve candidate species and species-at-risk so that listing under the ESA is not necessary.
Why International Affairs?
Additionally, many of the U.S. species that the Service is placed to protect depend as much on the habitat conditions in foreign countries as the conditions in the U.S. To conserve these migratory species and their habitat, the Service thinks and acts internationally.
Service activities overseas and in neighboring countries also meet U.S. Government obligations contained in numerous treaties, laws, agreements, and cooperative programs with other nations.
One example is the Endangered Species Act of 1973, which the U.S. has pledged itself as a sovereign state in the international community to conserve to the extent practicable the various species of fish or wildlife and plants facing extinction worldwide.
An alliance of governments, international agencies civil
society, and the private sector united to save wild tigers from extinction.
Who is supporting the tiger initiative?
•The World Bank’s commitment to a global Tiger Initiative
has received widespread interest and support from the conservation and
scientific communities. The launch of the Tiger Initiative is being co-hosted
by the Smithsonian Institution and the International Tiger Coalition (ITC), a
body of 39 NGOs representing millions of members and working around the world
and in most tiger range countries.
•There is strong support from the scientific community,
members of which have been working with the Bank on a new study, A Future For
Wild Tigers.
•Furthermore, the Bank’s engagement in the Tiger Initiative
has received a warm and often enthusiastic reception from other multi-national,
international and regional organizations with a long-standing and professional
stake in conservation.
•At the heart of the new Tiger Initiative is the recognition
of the need for consultation and consensus between all stakeholders. The threat
to tigers is a trans-boundary problem and affects areas where many poor people
live. It cannot be addressed through piecemeal interventions.
•Any specific intervention will only emerge after
consultation with all stakeholders, including NGOs and civil society
representatives in any of the tiger range countries. The power of the new
initiative is that its wide representativeness offers a great forum for
consultation.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) is the
nodal agency in the administrative structure of the Central Government for the
planning, promotion, co-ordination and overseeing the implementation of India's
environmental and forestry policies and programmes.
The primary concerns of the Ministry are implementation of
policies and programmes relating to conservation of the country's natural
resources including its lakes and rivers, its biodiversity, forests and
wildlife, ensuring the welfare of animals, and the prevention and abatement of pollution.
While implementing these policies and programmes, the Ministry is guided by the
principle of sustainable development and enhancement of human well-being.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the
Russian Federation (Minprirody of Russia) shall be a federal executive
authority performing functions of public policy making and statutory regulation
in the field of the study, use, renewal, and conservation of natural resources,
including the subsoil, water bodies, forests located in designated conservation
areas, fauna and their habitat, in the field of hunting, hydrometeorology and
related areas, environmental monitoring and pollution control, including
radiation monitoring and control, and functions of public environmental policy
making and implementation and statutory regulation, including issues of
production and consumption waste management (hereinafter waste), conservation
areas, and state environmental assessment.
The Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation shall organize and,
within the limits of its authority, ensure compliance with the obligations
arising from international agreements of the Russian Federation on matters,
which fall within the scope of activity of the Ministry.
The Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment (NRE)
was established on March 27, 2004 following the formation of a new cabinet by
the Prime Minister. NRE is responsible
for :
Natural resources management.
a. Forest management.
b. Irrigation and drainage management.
c. Wildlife management.
d. Minerals management.
Conservation and management of environment and shelters
a. Environmental conservation.
Forests have always played an important role in Bhutan’s
socio-economic development. Protection
of watersheds and river catchments has contributed greatly to the development
of hydropower production in the country.
In addition, forest forms an integral part of farming systems and is
linked to agriculture and livestock development.
Bhutan has a strong commitment to biodiversity
conservation. Over 26% of the country is
under the national system of protected areas which harbors a number of rare and
endangered species. Most of the river
catchments and headwaters of the major river systems are within these protected
areas. In addition, another 9.5% of the
country’s geographical area is set aside as biological corridors linking all
the protected areas for animal movement and gene flow.
In view of the importance of the Myanmar forestry sector in
enhancing national socio-economic development, and ensuring ecological balance
and environmental stability, the Myanmar Forest Policy has been formulated in a
holistic and balanced manner within the overall context of the environment and
sustainable development taking full cognizance of the forestry principles
adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment Development (UNCED),
1992.
The Policy has identified the following six imperatives:
A. Protection of soil, water, wildlife, biodiversity and
environment;
B. Sustainability of
forest resources to ensure perpetual supply of both tangible and intangible
benefits accrued from the forests for the present and future generations;
C. Basic Needs of the
people for fuel, shelter, food and recreation;
D. Efficiency to
harness in the socio-environmentally friendly manner, the full economic
potential of the forest resources;
E. Participation of
the people in the conservation and utilization of the forests; and
F. Public Awareness about
the vital role of the forests in the well-being and socio-economic development
of the nation.
Nepal is endowed with rich and varied biodiversity.
Altitudinal variances in short distance give Nepal's biogeography variety that
range from lush moist forests and sparse alpine deserts to luxurious grasslands
in lowland Terai.
The mountainous country also shelters some of the world's
most rare animals. Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park and Chitwan National
Park with typical natural, cultural and landscape characteristics were listed
as World Heritage sites in 1979 and 1984, respectively.
The overall goal of the Department is to conserve and manage
the rich and diverse biological diversity of Nepal with much emphasis on
wildlife and protected areas. The primary objectives of the Department are to
conserve the country’s major representative ecosystems, unique natural and
cultural heritage, and give protection to the valuable and endangered wildlifespecies. It also encourages scientific research for the preservation of wild
genetic diversity.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
