TIGER STAMPS LAUNCHED TO MARK THE YEAR OF THE TIGER
Bhutan Post released a set of stamps along with a special cover at an event at the Clock Tower square yesterday to highlight the importance of saving tigers in the region.
The event, which was attended by guest of honour, agriculture minister Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho, the education minister, opposition leader, members of the parliament and officials from collaborating organizations , World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Nature Conservation Division of the Ministry of Agriculture (NCD), and National Environment Commission, was aimed at raising awareness on tiger conservation.
This year, 2010, has been chosen as the year of the tiger worldwide by WWF coinciding with the lunar calendar, to highlight the urgency to save the ever dwindling tiger population in the world.
According to the WWF, the timing to launch the programme on the conservation of the tigers, in year of the Iron Tiger may well be fortuitous, as they need our attention more than ever.
“At present tiger populations are plummeting rap¬idly, driven by a rampant, systematic attempt by poachers to sweep the last tigers out of the forests of Asia,” WWF says.
Estimating the global tiger population to be as low as 3,200, WWF says that it is possible that tiger populations in much of its range will drop so low that we may well reach a point of no return for wild tigers for many places in Asia before the next Year of the Tiger in 2022.
Bhutan is home to 150-200 tigers, and is the only place in the world where the Royal Bengal Tiger has been sighted at an altitude of 4000 meters above sea level.
However, according to the NCD, conservation of large carnivores, especially tigers, is becoming increasingly difficult with an increasing population, developmental activities reaching more remote areas and increasing grazing pressure, even though as of now, Bhutan has enough space and promising habitat to support a viable population of breeding tigers in the years to come.
In Bhutan, tiger is listed in the schedule 1 of the Forest and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan, 1995, which treats protection of tigers at par with the Appendix 1 of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The Act prohibits taking, injuring, destroying, killing, shooting, capturing and trade and/or use of tiger parts and products. A penalty of imprisonment which may extend up to five years or prescribed fine starting from Nu 50,000 to 1,50,000 or both may be imposed.
The major threat that tigers in Bhutan face is habitat fragmentation due to development activities, and human – tiger conflict, according to Dr Sonam Wang of the NCD. Poaching is not a serious issue in Bhutan as of now, he said.
According to the NCD, the loss of tigers and degradation of their ecosystem would result in a historic, cultural, spiritual and environmental catastrophe for tiger range countries.
“Habitats where wild tiger live have very high economic and ecological value, providing vital services to humans such as a healthy environment, carbon sequestration, hydrological balance, pollination services, protection from natural disasters and soil erosion,” the NCD says.
According to Dr Wang, the event held yesterday was perhaps one of the first awareness campaigns for tiger conservation.
“People should have that feeling of empathy and a sense of stewardship for tigers, and such campaigns will help there,” he said.
In September, heads of State Tiger Summit will be held in Vladivostok, Russia, co-hosted by the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and World bank President Robert Zoellick, where tiger range countries and the wider tiger conservation community will lay out an agenda for the recovery of tiger populations throughout Asia.
The goal will be to double world tiger populations by 2022, the next lunar tiger year.
Source: bhutantoday