SUSTAINABLE FINANCE FOR TIGER (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Recently, the Bhutanese government hosted the Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference on Earth Day 2024, aiming to raise USD 1 billion over the next decade to conserve tigers and their habitats across Asia.

Sustainable Finance for Tiger Landscapes Conference

• About: The conference holds significance as it reviews progress towards the Global Tiger Recovery Programme and commitments to tiger conservation.
• Objective: It seeks to mobilise the amount of USD 1 billion over 10 years for the preservation of tiger landscapes.
• Aim: To raise huge funds will prove crucial to preserving tiger landscapes and ensuring the success of tiger and its stakeholders
• Participants: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam.
• New initiative Launched: Tthe Tiger Landscapes Investment Fund. This emerging financial mechanism aims to promote nature-positive businesses with positive impacts on tigers, biodiversity and local communities.

Key Points of Conference

• High-level Representation: Ten tiger range countries delivered statements on conserving tiger landscapes.
• Funding Sources: The Global Environment Facility has contributed over USD 197 million since 2010, with additional co-finance of USD 880 million for tiger conservation.
• Emphasis on Comprehensive Approach: Majority of countries stressed the need for a holistic approach to tiger conservation, involving indigenous and local communities sharing tiger territories.
• Growth in Tiger Population: Global tiger population increased from 3,200 in 2015 to around 4,500 in 2022, highlighting progress in conservation efforts.

Tiger in India

• India currently harbours almost 75% of the world’s wild tiger population.
• Trend of population in India: The number of tigers in India has increased from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022.
• Distribution in India: Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number (785) of tigers in the country, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).
• Status of Tiger Reserve: The number of tigers “within the tiger reserve” is highest in Corbett (260), followed by Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135), Dudhwa (135),
• Tiger reserve India’s tigers are largely concentrated in 54 dedicated tiger reserves 
• Project tiger: The Government of India has taken a pioneering initiative for conserving its national animal, the tiger, by launching the “Project Tiger” in 1973.