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16 August 2010 (Washington, D.C.)
Today, the Species Survival Network (SSN) sent to key States that will be participating in the Global Tiger Summit,
suggested amendments to the draft Global Tiger Declaration that will be
discussed at the meeting.
World leaders are on the brink of
signing an unprecedented global pledge to save the wild tiger. The
draft Declaration is a negotiated text prepared by delegates at the Pre
Tiger Summit Partners Dialogue Meeting on July 14th, 2010 in Bali,
Indonesia. It is intended to express political commitment to global
action to reverse the decline of the wild tiger. Nonetheless, while SSN
welcomes the draft Declaration, we believe there are some notable areas
where it could be refined.
Despite
numerous promises and commitments made since the last Year of the Tiger
in 1998, time is running out for this species. The tiger is at a
tipping point, with its wild population reaching an all-time low of
3,200. There is precious little time to secure its recovery, as the
functional density of wild tigers may soon fall to a critical level
from which a recovery in numbers is biologically unlikely.
The
tiger is a symbol of the forests and ecosystems in which it lives, and
its future security is critical for our collective wellbeing. It is
vital that the Declaration rises to this challenge, and that its
endorsement by world leaders sets the tone for the
future of tiger conservation and ensures the delivery and achievement
of meaningful goals. The Global Tiger Summit must mark the beginning of
real action and investment that will end one of the principal threats
to tiger survival, the trade in tiger parts.
Unfortunately,
while the draft Declaration contains much that is positive, the current
draft falls short of what is required. It lacks the pledges
necessary to
reduce demand for tiger parts and derivatives, and the commitments
needed to improve international enforcement efforts in order to end the
tiger trade. SSN urges the participating States to
strengthen the
Declaration so that it better reflects the
political commitment to saving the wild tiger that undoubtedly exists
at the highest level.
SSN's
Suggested Amendments to the
Draft Global Tiger Declaration (pdf)
The
Draft Global Tiger Declaration
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