ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[BorneanTiger]

(03-12-2020, 04:16 AM)peter Wrote: f - Geneva

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Kane talked to a number of representatives of wildlife organisations. Evidence was presented and everyone agreed something has to be done. But the Chinese have a somewhat different opinion and their lobby is not to be underestimated. Meaning decisions on countries ignoring international laws and agreements again were postponed. Also meaning those involved in poaching and trafficking can continue. Finally meaning tigers in southeast Asia have no future.  

g - Conclusions

The demand for tiger 'products' (in China in particular) is as strong as ever, if not more so. It's one of the flipsides of economic growth. It's clear that the policy regarding facilities breeding tigers and countries facilitating criminal organisations does not have a postive effect on the number of wild tigers. The opposite is true. In the last decade, the number of wild tigers has been halved. 

Tigers are now gone in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and severely threatened in Sumatra, Malaysia and Burma. Recent information says tigers are poached in India, Nepal and Russia as well. It is to be expected that the pressure in these countries will significantly increase in the near future. As all of them, in contrast to traffickers, struggle with inadequate means, it's more than likely the target regarding the number of wild tigers (in 2022) will prove to be a bridge too far.    

Meaning those involved in tiger conservation have failed. Again. I'm, to be clear, not referring to rangers and field biologists, but to those involved in policies, agreements and decisions. The time for change has arrived, that is. 

h - Proposals

Based on what we saw in the last two decades, my first proposal is to abandon the strategy to protect tigers in regions where poachers are not opposed because of a lack of means or political will. I'm referring to regions where tigers, and many other predators, are all but gone. In these regions, organisations involved in tiger conservation have been unable to realize their goals. One could also conclude they're no match for the Chinese and those involved in poaching.  

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My third proposal is to interact with their enemies. Both conservationists and those interested in tiger products profit from a decent number of protected reserves and a large population of tigers. Everyone interested in tigers knows captive-bred tigers do not compare to their wild relatives. Not even close.

A surprising conclusion to finish the post? I agree. But you know as well as I do that most humans, apart from a few exceptions (referring to fundamentalists in particular), are not that interested in, ehhh, ideals. The days people were prepared to fight for what they thought was right seem to be gone. Today, most of us are driven by something different. I'm referring to security and things like that, but if you say money I would agree right away. Meaning those interested in tigers (referring to those interested in conservation and their opponents) need to find common ground. 

If they fail, chances are conservationists and those opposing them will clash sooner or later. Would a more or less permanent all-out in a national park or a tiger reserve (we seem to be heading that way) be a solution for those making their home in the natural world? 

I'd like to ask about the issue of money and the poachers that kill wild animals like tigers for profits. Considering that the coronavirus has forced Chinese authorities to ban the consumption and trade of wild animals, and close down those cruel and unhygienic markets where wild and domestic animals alike were being traded and slaughtered (refer to what was being discussed in this thread for instance), besides increasing the risk of a global recession (partly by hitting the demand for oil, and leading to the current dispute between 2 major oil producers, which in itself has serious implications for the global economy), shouldn't poachers or their customers, who consume illegal animal products like tiger parts, themselves be in trouble now? Reply