|
Administrative steps
2. Strengthening of antipoaching activities, including special strategy for monsoon patrolling, by providing funding
support to Tiger Reserve States, as proposed by them, for deployment of antipoaching squads involving ex-army personnel / home guards, apart from workforce comprising of local people, in addition to strengthening of communication / wireless facilities.
3. 100% Central Assistance provided to 17 Tiger Reserves as an additionality for deployment of Tiger Protection Force, comprising of ex-army personnel and local workforce.
4. Constitution of the National Tiger Conservation Authority with effect from 4.09.2006, for strengthening tiger
conservation by, interalia, ensuring normative standards in tiger reserve management, preparation of reserve specific tiger conservation plan, laying down annual / audit report before Parliament, constituting State level Steering Committees under the Chairmanship of Chief Ministers and establishment of Tiger Conservation Foundation.
5. Constitution of a multidisciplinary Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau (Wildlife Crime
Control Bureau) with effect from 6.6.2007 comprising of officers from Police, Forest, Customs and other
enforcement agencies to effectively control illegal trade in wildlife.
6. Approval accorded for declaring eight new Tiger Reserves.
7. The revised Project Tiger guidelines have been issued to States for strengthening tiger conservation, which apart from ongoing activities, interalia, include funding support to States for enhanced village
relocation/ rehabilitation package for people living in core or critical tiger habitats (from
Rs. 1 lakh/family to Rs. 10 lakhs/ family), rehabilitation/resettlement of communities involved in traditional hunting, mainstreaming livelihood and wildlife concerns in forests outside tiger reserves and fostering corridor conservation through restorative strategy to arrest habitat fragmentation.
8. A scientific methodology for estimating tiger (including
copredators, prey animals and assessment of habitat status) has been evolved and mainstreamed. The findings of this estimation/assessment are bench marks for future tiger conservation strategy.
9. Around 31111 sq.km. of critical/core tiger habitat identified in 17 States.
10. Memorandum of Understanding developed for better/concerted implementation of conservation inputs through
tiger reserve States.
Financial steps
11. Financial and technical help is provided to the States under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, viz. Project Tiger and Development of National Parks and Sanctuaries for enhancing the capacity and infrastructure of the States for providing effective protection to wild animals.
International Cooperation
12. India has a Memorandum of Understanding with Nepal on controlling trans-boundary illegal trade in wildlife and conservation, apart from a protocol on tiger conservation with China.
13. A Global Tiger Forum of Tiger Range Countries has been created for addressing international issues related to tiger conservation.
14. During the 14th meeting of the Conference of Parties to CITES, which was held from 3rd to 15th June, 2007 at The Hague, India introduced a resolution along with China, Nepal and the Russian Federation, with directions to Parties with operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale, for restricting such captive populations to a level supportive only to conserving wild tigers. The resolution was adopted as a decision with minor
amendments. Further, India made an intervention appealing to China to phase out tiger farming, and eliminate stockpiles of Asian big cats body parts and derivatives. The importance of continuing the ban on trade of
body parts of tigers was emphasized.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri S.Regupathy, in a written reply to a question by Shri Hiten Barman in the Lok Sabha today.
|
